For rebecca
her hair, that halo of red gold curls,
has thickened, coarsened,
lost its baby fineness,
and the sweet smell of childhood
that clung to her clothes
has just about vanished.
now she’s getting moody,
moaning about her hair,
clothes that aren’t the right brands,
boys that tease.
she clicks over the saxophone keys
with gritty fingernails polished in pink pearl,
grass stains on the knees
of her sister’s old designer jeans.
she’s gone from sounding like the smoke detector
through old macdonald and jingle bells.
soon she’ll master these keys,
turn notes into liquid gold,
wail that reedy brass.
soon, she’ll be a woman.
she’s gonna learn to play the blues.
source: cooker, barbara. “listening to her practice: my middle daughter, on the edge of adolescence, learns to play the saxophe.” ordinary life. new york: byline press, 2000. el camino college. web. 6 may 2011.
“hanging fire”
by audre lorde
i am fourteen
and my skin has betrayed me
the boy i cannot live without
still sucks his thumb
in secret
how come my knees are
always so ashy
what if i die
before the morning comes
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
i have to learn how to dance
in time for the next party
my room is too small for me
suppose i die before graduation
they will sing sad melodies
but finally
tell the truth about me
there is nothing i want to do
and too much
that has to be done
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
nobody even stops to think
about my side of it
i should have been on math team
my marks were better than his
why do i have to be
the one
wearing braces
i have nothing to wear tomorrow
will i live long enough
to grow up
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
source: lorde, audre. “hanging fire.” the black unicorn: poems. new york: kitchen table: women of color press, 1978. el camino college. web. 06 june 2011.
which statement is the most accurate comparison of the two poems?
a) both poems deal with adolescence, but one is blank verse and the other is free verse.
b) both poems use apostrophe, but only one includes allusions and metaphors.
c) neither poem uses rhyme, but the poem by lorde uses rhythm.
d) both poems deal with adolescence but from different perspectives.