Audre Lorde described herself as “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” and is remembered today for those things, and the wide-reaching impact she had on contemporary poetry. Her poetry is noted for its sincerity and passion and often touched on topics including civil rights and second-wave feminism.
‘Who Said It Was Simple’ by Audre Lorde is a powerful poem about the inequalities in various civil rights movements during the poet’s lifetime.
There are so many roots to the tree of anger
that sometimes the branches shatter
before they bear.
‘A Woman Speaks’ is a poem of self-affirmation, power, and black feminism by quintessential feminist poet Audre Lorde.
Moon marked and touched by sun
my magic is unwritten
but when the sea turns back
it will leave my shape behind.
In ‘Afterimages,’ Audre Lorde paints visceral images, exposing racial wounds, resilience, and societal apathy, urging empathy and societal transformation.
However the image enters
its force remains within
my eyes
rockstrewn caves where dragonfish evolve
In ‘From the House of Yemanjá,’ a daughter grapples with her mother’s duality, yearning for cultural connection and the embrace of cultural heritage.
My mother had two faces and a frying pot
where she cooked up her daughters
into girls
Lorde’s ‘A Litany for Survival’ navigates the survival of the marginalized, emphasizing the crucial power of speaking out.
So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.
Audre Lorde’s ‘Hanging Fire’ explores a young girl’s perception of her body and life as she presents existential and mundane worries together.
I am fourteen
and my skin has betrayed me
the boy I cannot live without
still sucks his thumb
Lorde’s ‘If You Come Softly’ is a thoughtful poem in which the poet’s speaker talks to a listener about the future and their relationship.
If you come as softly
As the wind within the trees
You may hear what I hear
See what sorrow sees.
‘Movement Song’ by Lorde emphasizes growth and change with resilience post-breakup, capturing the essence of moving on with hopeful tones.
I have studied the tight curls on the back of your neck
moving away from me
beyond anger or failure
‘Power’ is based on a real-life murder and court case. This poem was first published in 1978 but is just as relevant today as it was then.
The difference between poetry and rhetoric
is being ready to kill
yourself
instead of your children.
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