David Edward Hayes, poet

I volunteer one day a week at the Research Annex for the Cape Girardeau County Historical Society in Jackson to help process their small manuscript collection, which is almost 100 years of files. It might sound boring to some, but for a historian, it's a great read of history on Cape Girardeau County. I get to meet people, most of whom have passed, who have contributed to the history of our county. About a month ago I came across a file named "David E. Hayes, Cape Poet."

I've always enjoyed literature and poetry and to find something on Black history was even more exciting. We have so little on Black history in our files.

The file on Mr. Hayes is pretty thin. It contains his obituary, a photocopy of a photo of him (which looks more like a weak sketch) and some of his poems. He was born May 22, 1919, in Cape Girardeau, although some place his birth in Byrd's settlement, Cape Girareau County. He lived in Cape Girardeau his entire life, except for his service in World War II and the Korean conflict.

As a child he lived on North Sprigg Street. By 1940 he and his mother, Eva Hayes, were living on North Fredrick Street, when he enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corps, Company 3748, Delta. He attended John S. Cobb School, also known as Lincoln School, in CapeGirardeau. He graduated there in 1938 and attended Lincoln University in Jefferson City.

In 1943 he married Genevia Lacey and entered the armed forces to serve in WWII. He continued his military service through the Korean War and then went into civil service work. He served as assistant Sunday school superintendent as a member of St. James A.M.E. Church in Cape Girardeau. He was involved in many organizations in Cape Cape Girardeau, such as Harmony Lodge No. 40, the Royal Arch Mason, the NAACP and several other organizations. He was a past president of the local chapter NAACP.

After 22 years in civil service, he retired in 1982, only to pass away April 15, 1983. He is buried in Fairmount Cemetery beside his wife, who passed in 2005. He had one sister, who passed in 2014, and one son born in 1948, who passed in 1949.

An interesting piece of paper included in his folder is a list of the books and magazines in which his poems were published. This single page lists four publications where his poems can be found. A note at the top of the page mentions that none of the books are found in Books In Print. I searched and could not find any. The obituary mentions he had several articles published as well.

David E. Hayes seemed like the type of person you could sit down with a cup of coffee and discuss almost anything. A generous man who spent his life in service of others. I would have liked to have met him. If anyone reading this blog has more information about Mr. Hayes, I would like to know so we could add more to his file. Below is a reprint of one of his poems.

CRYSTALS OF EBONY

Amidst the shadows of many sunsets,

I look into sublime darkness,

Feel the will, the delicacy of pleasurable taste.

Proud bosom of Euphrates heaves,

While stealthy moments of eternity

Beckons at faltering gaits.

I, the forbidden earthling,

The grandular elegance of a lost yesterday.

-- David E. Hayes

(Francessco Bivona, Gypsy Ships (Anthology of Poetry), Compiled by F. Bivona)