Georgia Douglas Johnson, "The Black Runner" (1928)
I have jewels in trust,
They are rights of the soul
That are holy and just;
There are deeds to be done,
There are goals to be won,
I am stripped for the race
In the glare of the sun.
I am throbbing with faith,
I can! And I must!
My forehead to God—
My feet in the dust.
Published in Carolina Magazine, May 1928