Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"At the Cemetery, Walnut Grove Plantation, South Carolina, 1989" by Lucille Clifton is a deeply moving and evocative poem that seeks to reclaim and honor the forgotten lives of slaves, particularly women, who labored and lived at Walnut Grove Plantation. Through her visit to the cemetery, Clifton engages in a silent dialogue with the past, her words serving as a bridge across time, calling forth the names and stories of those whose contributions have been erased from history. The poem is both a lamentation and a powerful act of remembrance, challenging the erasure and silencing of Black lives and contributions from historical narratives.

The poem opens with the speaker standing among the rocks of Walnut Grove, feeling the "silence drumming / in my bones," a visceral connection to the land and those buried beneath it. This drumming silence is a poignant reminder of the unspoken and unrecognized lives of slaves who once inhabited the plantation. Clifton's request, "tell me your names," is a plea for recognition and a step toward restoring dignity to those who lived in bondage.

Clifton notes the absence of any mention of slaves, despite the presence of "curious tools" that bear their fingerprints. This observation points to the deliberate omission of slave labor from the historical record, an erasure that Clifton seeks to rectify through her poem. The repetition of "nobody mentioned slaves" emphasizes the systemic nature of this silence and the denial of humanity to those who built and sustained the plantation.

The poem then shifts to a more direct appeal, asking for the names of those who "had no guide, no stone, / who molders under rock." This imagery highlights the physical and symbolic burial of slaves' identities and contributions, buried without markers or recognition, yet Clifton insists on bearing witness to their existence through her testimony.

The mention of the inventory list, which recognizes only men as slaves, underscores the double erasure of women from the historical record. Clifton challenges this omission by acknowledging that among the slaves, "some of these dark / were slaves / were women," thereby recognizing their crucial role in the plantation's history. This acknowledgment of women's labor and presence is a crucial aspect of Clifton's project of remembrance and reclamation.

The poem closes with a haunting repetition of "tell me your names" and the refrain "here lies / here lies / here lies / here lies / hear," a play on words that serves multiple purposes. "Here lies" is both an indication of the burial sites and an accusation of the lies that history tells about the past. The final "hear" is a command to listen to the stories of those who have been silenced, to recognize their humanity and contributions.

"At the Cemetery, Walnut Grove Plantation, South Carolina, 1989" is a powerful meditation on memory, history, and the importance of naming as an act of reclamation and resistance. Clifton's poem serves as a testament to the lives of slaves, particularly women, whose labor and existence have been marginalized and forgotten. Through her poetic invocation, Clifton seeks to restore dignity and voice to those who have been denied both, challenging readers to confront the silences and omissions in our collective history.

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