From The Terrible Stories (1996), "leaving fox" Summary

The poet is getting tired of being stuck after a lot of "fuckless" days and nights. At this point, the fox feels compassion for the poet and barks in compassion. The poet cannot receive the compassion of the fox and turns away, looking for something else to help her reveal her art and her nature. She waits for something human to appear.

From The Terrible Stories (1996), "leaving fox" Analysis

Clifton rarely uses profanity, so it has an extra impact when she does. She has had so much time without what she wants that she calls the time "fuckless." In this poem, the fox understands the situation and barks with compassion. Clifton cannot bear the look in the fox's eyes or its compassion so she tries elsewhere to see if...