Robert Whitmore
Having attained success in business
possessing three cars
one wife and two mistresses
a home and furniture
talked of by the town
and thrice ruler of the local Elks
Robert Whitmore
died of apoplexy
when a stranger from Georgia
mistook him
for a former Macon waiter…
Arthur Ridgewood, M.D.
He debated whether
as a poet
to have dreams and beans
or as a physician
have a long car and caviar.
Dividing his time between both
he died from a nervous breakdown
caused by worry
from rejection slips
and final notices from the Finance company…
From the Negro Caravan; edited by Brown, Lee, and Davis. Reprinted by permission of Arno Press.
Reference:
Frank Marshall Davis