Coping by Audre Lorde
Coping
Audre LordeIt has rained for five days
running the world is
a round puddle
of sunless water
where small islands
are only beginning
to cope
a young boy
in my garden
is bailing out water
from his flower patch
when I ask him why
he tells me
young seeds that have not seen sun
forget
and drown easily.
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SHARED WITH GRATITUDE
This poem appeared in The Black Unicorn by Audre Lorde, published by W. W. Norton & Company, 1978. (Available direct from W. W. Norton & Company • Also on: Amazon • Bookshop)
DESCRIPTION
“The Black Unicorn is a collection of poems by a woman who, Adrienne Rich writes, “for the complexity of her vision, for her moral courage and the catalytic passion of her language, has already become, for many, an indispensable poet.”” (Source)
ABOUT AUDRE LORDE
A self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Lorde was born in New York City to West Indian immigrant parents. Lorde’s early collections of poetry include The First Cities (1968), Cables to Rage (1970), and From a Land Where Other People Live (1972), which was nominated for a National Book Award. Later works,… (more)
Read more poems by Audre Lorde • Find books by this poet on Amazon • Bookshop • Or view my library
ENDNOTES
- Explore other works in pursuit of: fragility • rain • growth • Or browse the index
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