Succinct Truth Inspired by Lucille Clifton

Succinct Truth Inspired by Lucille Clifton with Maureen Young Ingram

Welcome to Day 18 of Verselove. We are so happy you are here, however you choose to be present. If you know what to do, carry on; if you are not sure, begin by reading the inspiration and mentor poem, then scroll to the comment section to post your poem. Please respond to at least three other poets in celebration of words, phrases, ideas, and craft that speak to you. Click here for more information on the Verselove. Share a highlight from your experiences thus far here.

Maureen Young Ingram lives and writes in Silver Spring, Maryland. Now retired, she taught preschool and mentored adults in their work with young children. Maureen loves spending time with her two granddaughters, hiking, and gardening. She blogs regularly at maureenyoungingram.blogspot.com and enjoys writing poetry about children, family, and nature. Maureen is immensely grateful for the Ethical ELA writing community.

Inspiration

On this Monday in the middle of our month of poetry writing, I offer the mentor poet Lucille Clifton and her voluminous poetry. Lucille Clifton began writing poetry at the age of 10 and published some 13 volumes and numerous children’s books. The body of her work is hopeful and caring, despite wrestling with difficult issues of family, race, womanhood, abuse, death, and more. She had a unique ability to write concisely; most of her poems measure twenty lines or less, with individual lines only a few words long. It is said that Lucille Clifton, a mother of six, wrote her poetry right in the midst of her busy family life – and she was known to quip, “Why do you think my poems are so short?” 

Here is a short video where Lucille Clifton offers her explanation of what poetry is.

Consider Lucille Clifton’s incisive and humorous critique of male power in her poem “wishes for sons”:

i wish them cramps
i wish them a strange town
and the last tampon
i wish them no 7-11.

i wish them one week early
and wearing a white skirt.
i wish them one week late.

later i wish them hot flashes
and clots like you
wouldn’t believe. let the
flashes come when they
meet someone special.
let the clots come
when they want to.

let them think they have accepted
arrogance in the universe,
then bring them to gynecologists
not unlike themselves.

Process

What difficult subject is on your mind today? 

Be inspired by Lucille Clifton and dare to make time to write about it, with both wonder and truth, in the midst of all that needs doing. 

• Write down your subject – what angers, challenges, disappoints, hurts, or bugs you?
• Write your poem from your point of view, using a lowercase “i” for yourself.
• Offer a clear, simple, direct image of the problem (when do you experience this? what is happening?)
• How might you weave in a message of hope? 
• Limit yourself to 10-20 lines, with short lines (suggestion – reread your draft with a critical eye as to what words are superfluous, unnecessary?)
• Consider playing around with or simply eliminating punctuation and capitalization
• Have fun!

Maureen’s Poem

i think it would be awesome
if microphones had
lie detectors
then when
politicians pontificate
their voices project
as Minions singing
as cassette tapes rewound
as simply falsetto singing
we’d be united in
enlightenment
we need an app for this

Your Turn

Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming.

Also, in the spirit of reciprocity, please respond to at least three other poets today.