Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Lucille Cliffton, 2 Poems

(This amazing poetess just die. So this is my homage to her, she has an amazing body of work these are two fairly well known, fairly obviously feminine. Check out her stuff...http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/arts/17clifton.html?scp=1&sq=lucille%20clifton&st=cse)

Homage to My Hips

these hips are big hips.
they need space to
move around in.
they don't fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don't like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top


Poem in praise of menstruation

if there is a river
more beautiful than this
bright as the blood
red edge of the moon if
there is a river
more faithful than this
returning each month
to the same delta if there

is a river
braver than this
coming and coming in a surge
of passion, of pain if there is

a river
more ancient than this
daughter of eve
mother of cain and of abel if there is in

the universe such a river if
there is some where water
more powerful than this wild
water

pray that it flows also
through animals

beautiful and faithful and ancient
and female and brave

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