To be a Woman is a Powerful Thing

Clifton is most famous for her poems about womanly matters, although her range of topics and the strength of her writing go much further than these famous pieces. However, she is especially powerful when writing about the goodness and potential of being a woman. Clifton does not spare the reader the realities of being a woman in today's society, because there is struggle and pain and disappointment in being a woman today. At the same time, Clifton asserts the positive aspects of womanhood. In "moonchild," she explores the poignant contraposition of being innocent girls wondering about sexuality with the sad secrets a sexually abused girl holds.

In "donor," she talks about a beloved child coming from an unwanted pregnancy, including dark images of the interior of a woman's body during pregnancy. In "birthday 1999," Clifton reveals a repeating dream she has about...