Winner of the 2013 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Poetry

ContentsForeword: Lucille Clifton by Toni Morrisongood times(1969)in the inner city_ 2my mamma moved among the days_ 3my daddy's fingers move among the couplers_ 4lane is the pretty one_5miss rosie_6robert_ 7the 1st_ 8running across to the lot_ 9still_ 10good times_ 11if i stand in my window_ 12 stops_ 13the discoveries of fire_ 14 those boys that ran together_ 15 pity this poor animal_ 16the white boy_ 17the meeting after the savior gone_ 18 for deLawd_ 19ca'line's prayer_ 20 if he ask you was i laughing_ 21if something should happen_ 22generations_ 23love rejected_ 24tyrone (1)_ 25willie b (1)_ 26tyrone (2)_ 27willie b (2)_ 28tyrone (3)_ 29willie b (3)_ 30tyrone (4)_31willie b (4)_ 32buffalo war_ 33flowers_ 34pork chops_ 35now my first wife never did come out of her room_ 36the way it was_ 37admonitions_ 38good news about the earth(1972)about the earthafter kent state_ 41being property once myself_ 42the way it was_ 43the lost baby poem_ 44 later i'll say_ 45apology_ 46lately_ 47the '70s_ 48listen children_ 49driving through new england_ 50the news_ 51the bodies broken on_ 52 song_ 53prayer_ 54heroesafrica_ 56i am high on the man called crazy_ 57 earth_ 58for the bird who flew against our window one morning and broke his natural neck_ 59 God send easter_ 60so close_ 61wise: having the ability to perceive and adopt the best means for accomplishing an end_ 62malcolm_ 63eldridge_ 64to bobby seale_ 65for her hiding place_ 66richard penniman_ 67daddy_ 68poem for my sisters_ 69the kind of man he is_ 70some jesusadam and eve_ 72cain_ 73moses_ 74solomon_ 75job_ 76daniel_ 77jonah_ 78john_ 79mary_ 80joseph_ 81the calling of the disciples_ 82the raising of lazarus_ 83palm sunday_ 84good friday_ 85easter sunday_ 86spring song_ 87an ordinary woman(1974)sistersin salem_ 90sisters_ 91leanna's poem_ 92 on the birth of bomani_ 93salt_ 94a storm poem_ 95God's mood_ 96new bones_ 97harriet_ 98roots_ 99come home from the movies_ 100to ms. ann_ 101my boys_ 102last note to my girls_ 103 a visit to gettysburg_ 104 monticello_ 105to a dark moses_ 106Kali_ 107this morning_ 108i agree with the leavesthe lesson of the falling leaves_ 110i am running into a new year_ 111the coming of Kali_ 112she insists on me_ 113she understands me_ 114she is dreaming_ 115her love poem_ 116calming Kali_ 117i am not done yet_ 118the poet_ 119turning_ 120my poem_ 121lucy one-eye_ 122if mama_ 123i was born in a hotel_ 124light_ 125cutting greens_ 126jackie robinson_ 127i went to the valley_ 128at last we killed the roaches_ 129 in the evenings_ 130breaklight_ 131some dreams hang in the air_ 132the carver_ 133let there be new flowering_ 134 the thirty eighth year_ 135two-headed woman(1980)homage to minelucy and her girls_ 139 i was born with twelve fingers_ 140homage to my hair_ 141homage to my hips_ 142what the mirror said_ 143there is a girl inside_ 144to merle_ 145august the 12th_ 146on the death of allen's son_ 147speaking of loss_ 148to thelma who worried because i couldn't cook_ 149poem on my fortieth birthday to my mother who died young_ 150 feburary 13, 1980_ 151forgiving my father_ 152to the unborn and waiting children_ 153aunt agnes hatcher tells_ 154the once and future dead_ 155 two-headed womanin this garden_ 157the making of poems_ 158new year_ 159sonora desert poem_ 160my friends_ 161wife_ 162i once knew a man_ 163angels_ 164conversation with my grandson, waiting to be conceived_ 165the mystery that surely is present_ 166the astrologer predicts at mary's birth_ 167anna speaks of the childhood of mary her daughter_ 168mary's dream_ 169how he is coming then_ 170holy night_ 171a song of mary_ 172island mary_ 173mary mary astonished by god_ 174for the blind_ 175for the mad_ 176for the lame_ 177for the mute_ 178God waits for the wandering world_ 179 the light that came to lucille clifton_ 180the light that came to lucille cliftontestament_ 182incandescence_ 183 mother, i am mad_ 184perhaps_ 185explanations_ 186friends come_ 187to joan_ 188confession_ 189in populated air_ 190Next(1987)we are all nextalbum_ 193winnie song_194there_ 195what spells raccoon to me_ 196this belief_ 197why some people be mad at me sometimes_ 198sorrow song_ 199I. creation_ 200I. at gettysburg_ 201 I. at nagasaki_ 202I. at jonestown_ 203atlantic is a sea of bones_ 204cruelty. don't talk to me about cruelty_ 205the woman in the camp_ 206the lost women_ 2074 daughters_ 208grown daughter_ 209here is another bone to pick with you_ 210female_ 211if our grandchild be a girl_ 212this is the tale_ 213my dream about being white_ 214my dream about the cows_ 215my dream about time_ 216my dream about falling_ 217my dream about the second coming_ 218 my dream about God_ 219my dream about the poet_ 220morning mirror_ 221or nextthe death of crazy horse_ 223crazy horse names his daughter_ 224crazy horse instructs the young men but in their grief they forget_ 225the message of crazy horse_ 226the death of thelma sayles_ 227lives_ 228the message of thelma sayles_ 229the death of joanne c._ 230enter my mother_ 231leukemia as white rabbit_ 232incantation_ 233chemotherapy_ 234 she won't ever forgive me_ 235the one in the next bed is dying_ 236leukemia as dream/ritual_ 237the message of jo_ 238chorus: lucille_ 239the death of fred clifton_ 240"i'm going back to my true identity"_ 241my wife_ 242the message of fred clifton_ 243singingin white America1 i come to read them poems_ 2452 the history_ 2463 the tour_ 2474 the hall_ 2485 the reading_ 2496 it is late_ 250 shapeshifter poems1 the legend is whispered_ 2512 who is there to protect her_ 2523 if the little girl lies_2534 the poem at the end of the world_ 254california lessons1 geography_ 2552 history_ 2563 botany_ 2574 semantics_ 258 5 metaphysics_ 259Quilting (1991)[section titles are taken from the names of traditional quilt designs]quilting _ 261log cabin"i am accused of tending to the past..."_ 263note to my self_ 264poem beginning in no and ending in yes_ 265february 11, 1990_ 266at the cemetery, walnut grove plantation, south carolina,1989_ 267slave cabin, sotterly plantation, maryland, 1989_ 268white lady_ 269memo_ 270reply_ 271whose side are you on?_ 272shooting star_ 273poem with rhyme in it_ 274eyes_ 275defending my tongue_ 278catalpa flower from the wisdom of sister brown_ 280the birth of language_ 281we are running_ 282what the grass knew_ 283nude photograph_ 284"this is for the mice that live..."_ 285 sleeping beauty_ 286"a woman who loves..."_ 287 man and wife_ 288poem in praise of menstruation_ 289peeping tom_ 290ways you are not like oedipus_ 291the killing of the trees_ 292questions and answers_ 294 november 21, 1988_ 295the beginning of the end of the world_ 296the last day_297eight-pointed starwild blessings_ 299"somewhere..."_ 300"when i stand around among poets..."_ 301water sign woman_ 302photograph_ 303grandma, we are poets_ 304 december 7, 1989_ 306to my friend, jerina_ 307lot's wife 1988_ 308fat fatwater rat_ 309poem to my uterus_ 310 to my last period_ 311wishes for sons_ 312the mother's story_ 313in which i consider the fortunate deaf_ 3144/25/89 late_ 315"as he was dying..."_ 316night sound_ 317"the spirit walks in..."_ 318after the reading_ 319moonchild_ 320tree of life"oh where have you fallen to..."_ 322remembering the birth of lucifer_ 323whispered to lucifer_ 324eve's version_ 325lucifer understanding at last_ 326 the garden of delight_ 327adam thinking_ 328eve thinking_ 329the story thus far_ 330 lucifer speaks in his own voice_ 331 prayerblessing the boats_ 333The Book of Light(1992)LIGHT_335 reflectionclimbing_ 337june 20_ 338daughters_ 339sam_ 340my lost father_ 341 thel_ 342imagining bear_ 343c.c. rider_ 34411/10 again_ 345she lived_ 346for roddy_ 347them and us_ 348the women you are accustomed to_ 349 song at