“You might as well answer the door, my child,
the truth is furiously knocking.”
― Lucille Clifton, Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969-1980
As we leave February, the month that Canada celebrates Black History, I wanted to include a poem by Lucille Clifton (1936 – 2010). She focused on family life and on the African-American experience. Her belief that we gain strength and endurance through adversity can be seen in her poetry. She is known for her ability to express deep and complex concepts with only a few, well-chosen phases, without the use of any capitalized words. The title, “won’t you celebrate with me” is a joyous narrative of survival.
won’t you celebrate with me
By Lucille Clifton
won’t you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.
On The Road Book Club 
Beautiful word.post ,and author ! Have nice Weekend.
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Thank you so much for stopping by!!! Vancouver will have plenty of rain for the weekend – it is always refreshing.
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Aha! A new poet with very wise and original words. And, her unique way of presenting her work without capital letters. I love that idea.
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I am going to look into more of her poetry. Crisp and poignant!
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Never heard of her! Powerful piece!
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Oh Cindy, there is so much more for me to learn and so little time. And that is what makes life so very exciting. Blogging has given me an extraordinary venue for knowledge acquisition. I look forward to your visits!!!
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A powerful and evocative celebration, again thank you for introducing me to another poet 🙂
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Thank you for your presence and thoughtful comments. We have much to celebrate – together.
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