being property once myself

i have a feeling for it,

that’s why i can talk

about environment.

what wants to be a tree,

ought to be he can be it.

same thing for other things.

same thing for men.

         

          *

 

malcom

 

nobody mentioned war

but doors were closed

black women shaved their heads

black men rustled in the alleys like leaves

prophets were ambushed as they spoke

and from their holes black eagles flew

screaming through the streets

           

          *

 

new bones

 

we will wear

new bones again.

we will leave

these rainy days,

break out through

another mouth

into sun and honey time.

worlds buzz over us like bees,

we be splendid in new bones.

other people think they know

how long life is

how strong life is.

we know.

           

          *

 

 

~

 

lucille clifton’s poems mesmerize us with vivid imagery, powerful honesty and dreamy melodies.  deceptively simple, clifton’s short poems contain entire landscapes, histories, declarations and songs of myself.  the beautiful language coalesces into deep metaphors and brave truths about race, slavery, war, sexism and civil rights.

in humanizing the exploited earth, clifton humanizes exploited people.  she returns us to our ancient and innate humanity where we come from the sun, putting forth healing energy.

the lack of punctuation and capitalization gives the poems in good woman a streamlined immediacy that we admire.  each line break is music that produces a complete sensation.

we’re sympathetic to the view that everyone should be allowed to be who they are: the tree, the woman,the man, the rain.

lucille clifton is one of our most beloved art ancestors.

~

work cited: clifton, lucille.  good woman: poems and a memoir 1969-1980.  brockport: boa editions limited, 1987.  print.