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raloveridge's review
4.0
"you have placed yourselves
in peril
not by your superior sword
but by your insignificant
quarrels with life"
—from "the message from The Ones"
A really lovely collection—these are hard-hitting and strange in places, not terribly similar to other Clifton I've read. I liked this an awful lot.
in peril
not by your superior sword
but by your insignificant
quarrels with life"
—from "the message from The Ones"
A really lovely collection—these are hard-hitting and strange in places, not terribly similar to other Clifton I've read. I liked this an awful lot.
tgrvs78's review
5.0
Tender poetry that deals with time, memory, loss, suffering and the strength of a heart. Grief can be a hard thing to name and surviving it really does shape someone’s life.
2000s's review
3.5
A lot of this collection felt muddy and disjointed for me, maybe it was just too abstract and rambly for my liking. I do really admire Lucille Clifton though and she has some really beautiful poems. My favorite from this collection was probably "mulberry fields." I'll probably revisit and read more closely.
jeninmotion's review
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
There are just a few lines in this that are devastating and crystal clear, as well as the title poem of the collection. Great work.
milo_rose's review
5.0
"dying"
i saw a small moon rise
from the breast of a woman
lying in a hospital hall
and I saw that the moon was me
and I saw that the punctured bag
of a woman body was me
and i saw you sad there in the lobby
waiting to visit and I wanted
to sing to you
go home
i am waiting for you there
*
"the third time and you are so tired
so tired and you nod your head
and smile and walk away from
the angel uniforms the blood
machines and you enter the nearest
movie house and stand in the last aisle
staring at the screen with your living eyes"
- from "cancer"
i saw a small moon rise
from the breast of a woman
lying in a hospital hall
and I saw that the moon was me
and I saw that the punctured bag
of a woman body was me
and i saw you sad there in the lobby
waiting to visit and I wanted
to sing to you
go home
i am waiting for you there
*
"the third time and you are so tired
so tired and you nod your head
and smile and walk away from
the angel uniforms the blood
machines and you enter the nearest
movie house and stand in the last aisle
staring at the screen with your living eyes"
- from "cancer"
merrybelletrist's review
5.0
I don't remember exactly which poem I read by Mrs. Clifton first but I remember liking it. When it came time for me to buy books I thought of her and I ordered this collection.
It is marvelous. The poetry flows well and I particularly like the 9/11 sequence. I feel like that section in particular is still relevant to America post 9/11
The last section with the poems from the Other World where really great as other well. I feel like they were trying to impart some wisdom and I feel like I need to hear it.
I loved this collection and I will be looking into more of her work.
It is marvelous. The poetry flows well and I particularly like the 9/11 sequence. I feel like that section in particular is still relevant to America post 9/11
The last section with the poems from the Other World where really great as other well. I feel like they were trying to impart some wisdom and I feel like I need to hear it.
I loved this collection and I will be looking into more of her work.
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