Yep, it’s still poetry month. And as April comes to an end, I want to share with you dear readers another one of my favorite poems by Lucille Clifton. Lucille is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, and author of children’s books with an amazing presence if one is ever lucky enough to be in a room with her. I love her poem, “the river between us” because it embodies some of the unspoken complexity involved in any discussion about race and class in America. When it comes down to it, yes, we are all human. But the problem is that we need to learn, as a nation, to live together as humans who respect and honor each other regardless of the color of our skin or the size of our bank accounts. We touched on some of these themes on Sunday’s BlogTalkRadio show; check out the podcast “More Diversity, Please” after you read Lucille’s poem. It really can put things into perspective. Because it’s clear that race and class can be a huge, ugly chasm dividing us, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
the river between us
in the river that your father fished
my father was baptized. it was
their hunger that defined them,
one, a man who knew he could
feed himself if it all came down,
the other a man who knew he needed help.
this is about more than color. it is
about how we learn to see ourselves.
it is about geography and memory.
it is about being poor people
in america. it is about my father
and yours and you and me and
the river that is between us.
