Free Verse - Phillis Wheatley

1753–84

Arise, my soul; on wings enraptured, rise,

To praise the Monarch of the earth and skies.

So begins one of the many religious poems written by Phillis Wheatley in the late 1700s. This highly regarded poet was entertained by George Washington, approved by John Hancock, and published by Thomas Paine. She was only thirteen when her first poem was published, and at age seventeen she wrote a popular elegy to mark the death of preacher George Whitefield.

Three years later, her growing fame took her to England, where she got a book of poems published, met with the Lord Mayor of London, and nearly had an audience with the king. As the Revolutionary War developed, her poems took on a more American slant.

Did we mention that Phillis grew up as a slave? She was seven or eight when the slave ship Phillis brought her from West Africa to the American colonies, and she served in the Boston home of John and Susanna Wheatley. Rather progressive for their day, the Wheatleys provided an education for young Phillis and eased her duties so she could practice reading and writing. They recognized her talent and encouraged it. When John Wheatley died in 1778, Phillis was granted her freedom, and though she kept writing poetry, financial woes and health troubles plagued her until she died in 1784.

In modern times, it’s hard for us to understand the slave culture of the 1700s. We applaud the Wheatleys for supporting Phillis’s poetry—but they were still slave owners! Yet even within that corrupt system, Phillis got some breaks and managed to thrive for a time. While her poetry was generally positive, in a few lines she addressed the slavery issue.

But how, presumptuous shall we hope to find

Divine acceptance with th’ Almighty mind—

While yet (O deed ungenerous!) they disgrace

And hold in bondage Afric’s blameless race?

We still live in a broken world, but we can use our gifts to offer healing, challenge, and delight.

Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Philippians 2:15