Clifton’s poems often lack punctuation or capitalization. The phrase “poem this” also makes a noun into a verb. For instance, in describing chopping collard greens, she senses “the bond of living things everywhere.” Her phrase “poem this” attests to the mystic encounter of discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary. In a few words, Clifton plumbs the profound. The poems had to be short enough to memorize!īut don’t let the apparent simplicity fool you anyone who has held a seashell in the palm of her hand knows something small can be intricate. As the mother of six children, her early poems were written in her head throughout the day as she cooked, cleaned and cared for others. First up is Lucille Clifton (1936–2010).Įncountering a Clifton poem on the page, you might first observe the brevity. This February, I’d like to help you explore that question through the work of four of my favorite Black poets.
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