Music tends to be the most popular form of free verse in today's society. Many people can remember song lyrics rather than trying to remember the lines of a famous poem. Nevertheless, music and poetry have links between them. One connection is that poets have a tendency of writing poems about music, but they look at music in considerably different ways. Examples of two poems that do this are "The Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes and "Musings on Music" by Ann Cragg.
"The Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes describes Hughes" fascination for blues music. His appeal for the blues is so high that he even describes a singer and his lyrics in the poem. "He played a few chords then he sang some more - "I got the Weary Blues"" (24 - 25). In this line, Hughes may be describing the singer and his lyrics, but he is also saying that he has the "weary blues." In fact, the whole poem could be a blues song that is being sung by Hughes, which is further evidence that Hughes is fascinated with blues. One reason that this could be sung by Hughes is the effectiveness of his rhymes throughout the whole poem. His rhymes are smooth, they flow with so much rhythm, and they are consistent just as if it were a song. Hughes" rhymes point to the idea of how associated poems and music are. From a reader's perspective, it can be seen as lyrics to a song because of his powerful and consistent rhymes. In addition, Hughes" repetition of the phrase "O Blues!" (11, 16) is clear indication of his appreciation for blues music. .
Langston Hughes in his poem "The Weary Blues" writes an ode to the blues, and he is so effective at it that he makes it appear it like a blues song. In contrast, Ann Cragg's poem, "Musings on Music", does not make the same case as Hughes. Cragg discusses in her poem the love that people have for music in general. She starts the poem off with some intriguing questions: "What did people do before the advent of music? How did they stay calm throughout a long, nerve-wracking day?" (Cragg).
