Lucille Clifton. photo Courtesy of AWP

At the time, I listened intently on every word she said. Her bits of wit and wisdom rained down on my eager mind. Now, months later, I don't remember a word she said.

I felt in awe of Lucille Clifton's perfect balance of ordinariness and magnificence. In her core, she was human, an emotional being with flaws. But, as she read aloud her poetry, she transcended, and she rose above herself. Reading her poetry aloud, Ms. Clifton took her already brilliant work and elevated it to exquisite artistry.

I can't quite remember how she looked. But, I can immediately remember her shoes. She wore old lady shoes. I suppose she did that because, she was, indeed, an old lady. But, it seemed funny that a world-renowned poet should be wearing black leather slip on shoes with socks. It seemed too simple, too practical, and too common-day for the feet that held up a woman of such distinction. Yet, she wore them with pride, and somehow, that pride made the shoes striking.

I remember my heart throbbing while she spoke candidly about deaths of family members whom she mourned. I remember her tone as she spoke about the illnesses that attacked her own body. I don't remember who died, and what they had, or even what illnesses she had, but, the tone of her voice revealed every detail about the conditions of human suffering.

The words pierced me. I felt the power of their universality-and their originality. I don't remember the words, but the feelings that they created left a poem stamped on my heart. As she read the poem called "To My Last Period," I saw the girls around me smile without lifting my eyes from her face.

As she signed my book, in her loopy cursive, I realized that in meeting Lucille Clifton, I read every one of her poems simultaneously. I consumed her entire collection in viewing her as a poem. From her shoes, to her sorrow, to her reading, she stood before me, a poem waiting to be read, deciphered-and enjoyed.

Copyright 2004 | Contact Us | Submission Guidelines | Staff | Obtain a Copy | Home