Poetry Friday

When I was looking for a poem to post for this week I found out that poet Lucille Clifton died in February. When I was young and in college (oh the many years ago) I spent many a nice afternoon curled up with her poetry. Clifton writes wonderfully short and accessible poems about her experiences as an African American and as a woman. She was one of the first feminist poets I ever read and one of my favorites. So in memory of her I'm sharing one of her poems for Poetry Friday.

homage to my hips
by Lucille Clifton

these hips are big hips
they need space to
move around in.
they don't fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don't like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top!