Contents
Foreword: Lucille Clifton by Toni Morrison
good times
(1969)
in the inner city_ 2
my mamma moved among the days_ 3
my daddy's fingers move among the couplers_ 4
lane is the pretty one_5
miss rosie_6
robert_ 7
the 1st_ 8
running across to the lot_ 9
still_ 10
good times_ 11
if i stand in my window_ 12
stops_ 13
the discoveries of fire_ 14
those boys that ran together_ 15
pity this poor animal_ 16
the white boy_ 17
the meeting after the savior gone_ 18
for deLawd_ 19
ca'line's prayer_ 20
if he ask you was i laughing_ 21
if something should happen_ 22
generations_ 23
love rejected_ 24
tyrone (1)_ 25
willie b (1)_ 26
tyrone (2)_ 27
willie b (2)_ 28
tyrone (3)_ 29
willie b (3)_ 30
tyrone (4)_31
willie b (4)_ 32
buffalo war_ 33
flowers_ 34
pork chops_ 35
now my first wife never did come out of her room_ 36
the way it was_ 37
admonitions_ 38
good news about the earth
(1972)
about the earth
after kent state_ 41
being property once myself_ 42
the way it was_ 43
the lost baby poem_ 44
later i'll say_ 45
apology_ 46
lately_ 47
the '70s_ 48
listen children_ 49
driving through new england_ 50
the news_ 51
the bodies broken on_ 52
song_ 53
prayer_ 54
heroes
africa_ 56
i am high on the man called crazy_ 57
earth_ 58
for the bird who flew against our window one morning and broke his natural neck_ 59
God send easter_ 60
so close_ 61
wise: having the ability to perceive and adopt the best means for accomplishing an end_ 62
malcolm_ 63
eldridge_ 64
to bobby seale_ 65
for her hiding place_ 66
richard penniman_ 67
daddy_ 68
poem for my sisters_ 69
the kind of man he is_ 70
some jesus
adam and eve_ 72
cain_ 73
moses_ 74
solomon_ 75
job_ 76
daniel_ 77
jonah_ 78
john_ 79
mary_ 80
joseph_ 81
the calling of the disciples_ 82
the raising of lazarus_ 83
palm sunday_ 84
good friday_ 85
easter sunday_ 86
spring song_ 87
an ordinary woman
(1974)
sisters
in salem_ 90
sisters_ 91
leanna's poem_ 92
on the birth of bomani_ 93
salt_ 94
a storm poem_ 95
God's mood_ 96
new bones_ 97
harriet_ 98
roots_ 99
come home from the movies_ 100
to ms. ann_ 101
my boys_ 102
last note to my girls_ 103
a visit to gettysburg_ 104
monticello_ 105
to a dark moses_ 106
Kali_ 107
this morning_ 108
i agree with the leaves
the lesson of the falling leaves_ 110
i am running into a new year_ 111
the coming of Kali_ 112
she insists on me_ 113
she understands me_ 114
she is dreaming_ 115
her love poem_ 116
calming Kali_ 117
i am not done yet_ 118
the poet_ 119
turning_ 120
my poem_ 121
lucy one-eye_ 122
if mama_ 123
i was born in a hotel_ 124
light_ 125
cutting greens_ 126
jackie robinson_ 127
i went to the valley_ 128
at last we killed the roaches_ 129
in the evenings_ 130
breaklight_ 131
some dreams hang in the air_ 132
the carver_ 133
let there be new flowering_ 134
the thirty eighth year_ 135
two-headed woman
(1980)
homage to mine
lucy and her girls_ 139
i was born with twelve fingers_ 140
homage to my hair_ 141
homage to my hips_ 142
what the mirror said_ 143
there is a girl inside_ 144
to merle_ 145
august the 12th_ 146
on the death of allen's son_ 147
speaking of loss_ 148
to thelma who worried because i couldn't cook_ 149
poem on my fortieth birthday to my mother who died young_ 150
feburary 13, 1980_ 151
forgiving my father_ 152
to the unborn and waiting children_ 153
aunt agnes hatcher tells_ 154
the once and future dead_ 155
two-headed woman
in this garden_ 157
the making of poems_ 158
new year_ 159
sonora desert poem_ 160
my friends_ 161
wife_ 162
i once knew a man_ 163
angels_ 164
conversation with my grandson, waiting to be conceived_ 165
the mystery that surely is present_ 166
the astrologer predicts at mary's birth_ 167
anna speaks of the childhood of mary her daughter_ 168
mary's dream_ 169
how he is coming then_ 170
holy night_ 171
a song of mary_ 172
island mary_ 173
mary mary astonished by god_ 174
for the blind_ 175
for the mad_ 176
for the lame_ 177
for the mute_ 178
God waits for the wandering world_ 179
the light that came to lucille clifton_ 180
the light that came to lucille clifton
testament_ 182
incandescence_ 183
mother, i am mad_ 184
perhaps_ 185
explanations_ 186
friends come_ 187
to joan_ 188
confession_ 189
in populated air_ 190
Next
(1987)
we are all next
album_ 193
winnie song_194
there_ 195
what spells raccoon to me_ 196
this belief_ 197
why some people be mad at me sometimes_ 198
sorrow song_ 199
I. creation_ 200
I. at gettysburg_ 201
I. at nagasaki_ 202
I. at jonestown_ 203
atlantic is a sea of bones_ 204
cruelty. don't talk to me about cruelty_ 205
the woman in the camp_ 206
the lost women_ 207
4 daughters_ 208
grown daughter_ 209
here is another bone to pick with you_ 210
female_ 211
if our grandchild be a girl_ 212
this is the tale_ 213
my dream about being white_ 214
my dream about the cows_ 215
my dream about time_ 216
my dream about falling_ 217
my dream about the second coming_ 218
my dream about God_ 219
my dream about the poet_ 220
morning mirror_ 221
or next
the death of crazy horse_ 223
crazy horse names his daughter_ 224
crazy horse instructs the young men but in their grief they forget_ 225
the message of crazy horse_ 226
the death of thelma sayles_ 227
lives_ 228
the message of thelma sayles_ 229
the death of joanne c._ 230
enter my mother_ 231
leukemia as white rabbit_ 232
incantation_ 233
chemotherapy_ 234
she won't ever forgive me_ 235
the one in the next bed is dying_ 236
leukemia as dream/ritual_ 237
the message of jo_ 238
chorus: lucille_ 239
the death of fred clifton_ 240
"i'm going back to my true identity"_ 241
my wife_ 242
the message of fred clifton_ 243
singing
in white America
1 i come to read them poems_ 245
2 the history_ 246
3 the tour_ 247
4 the hall_ 248
5 the reading_ 249
6 it is late_ 250
shapeshifter poems
1 the legend is whispered_ 251
2 who is there to protect her_ 252
3 if the little girl lies_253
4 the poem at the end of the world_ 254
california lessons
1 geography_ 255
2 history_ 256
3 botany_ 257
4 semantics_ 258
5 metaphysics_ 259
Quilting
(1991)
[section titles are taken from the names of traditional quilt designs]
quilting _ 261
log cabin
"i am accused of tending to the past..."_ 263
note to my self_ 264
poem beginning in no and ending in yes_ 265
february 11, 1990_ 266
at the cemetery, walnut grove plantation, south carolina,1989_ 267
slave cabin, sotterly plantation, maryland, 1989_ 268
white lady_ 269
memo_ 270
reply_ 271
whose side are you on?_ 272
shooting star_ 273
poem with rhyme in it_ 274
eyes_ 275
defending my tongue_ 278
catalpa flower
from the wisdom of sister brown_ 280
the birth of language_ 281
we are running_ 282
what the grass knew_ 283
nude photograph_ 284
"this is for the mice that live..."_ 285
sleeping beauty_ 286
"a woman who loves..."_ 287
man and wife_ 288
poem in praise of menstruation_ 289
peeping tom_ 290
ways you are not like oedipus_ 291
the killing of the trees_ 292
questions and answers_ 294
november 21, 1988_ 295
the beginning of the end of the world_ 296
the last day_297
eight-pointed star
wild blessings_ 299
"somewhere..."_ 300
"when i stand around among poets..."_ 301
water sign woman_ 302
photograph_ 303
grandma, we are poets_ 304
december 7, 1989_ 306
to my friend, jerina_ 307
lot's wife 1988_ 308
fat fat
water rat_ 309
poem to my uterus_ 310
to my last period_ 311
wishes for sons_ 312
the mother's story_ 313
in which i consider the fortunate deaf_ 314
4/25/89 late_ 315
"as he was dying..."_ 316
night sound_ 317
"the spirit walks in..."_ 318
after the reading_ 319
moonchild_ 320
tree of life
"oh where have you fallen to..."_ 322
remembering the birth of lucifer_ 323
whispered to lucifer_ 324
eve's version_ 325
lucifer understanding at last_ 326
the garden of delight_ 327
adam thinking_ 328
eve thinking_ 329
the story thus far_ 330
lucifer speaks in his own voice_ 331
prayer
blessing the boats_ 333
The Book of Light
(1992)
LIGHT_335
reflection
climbing_ 337
june 20_ 338
daughters_ 339
sam_ 340
my lost father_ 341
thel_ 342
imagining bear_ 343
c.c. rider_ 344
11/10 again_ 345
she lived_ 346
for roddy_ 347
them and us_ 348
the women you are accustomed to_ 349
song at
