these hips are big hips.
they need space to
move around in.
they don’t fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don’t like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top
– Lucille Clifton
Postscript:
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud the first time I read/heard this poem. She has such a combination of defiance, mischief and self-confidence in her tone that you want to throw all that brainwashing that comes at all of us out the window. Eating disorders are a serious issue, and typically get triggered in adolescence – for more information, go here and here.
Tagged: culture, defiance, gender, Lucille Clifton, size, weight