Lucille Clifton, the green girl in the poet

Lucille Clifton was mentioned at an event tonight so I think of her now. Yeah, "the damn wonder of it." And the sadness of the old bones.

First readings of Lucille Clifton poems often feel celebratory and then the poems vibrate in the way wisdom vibrates and beauty vibrates and I remember the poet sprang from her sorrows by way of vision. Sprang into vision by way of sorrow and celebration.

Clifton moved on to the next manifestation of energy, soul, love and life in February last year.

(The ink drawing is of thyme.)



There is a Girl Inside

There is a girl inside.
She is randy as a wolf.
She will not walk away and leave these bones
to an old woman.

She is a green tree in a forest of kindling.
She is a green girl in a used poet.

She has waited patient as a nun
for the second coming,
when she can break through gray hairs
into blossom

and her lovers will harvest
honey and thyme
and the woods will be wild
with the damn wonder of it.

_______________
Lucille Clifton