Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"In the Evenings" by Lucille Clifton is a reflective and deeply personal poem that weaves together themes of memory, familial legacy, and the rituals of care and protection. Through the imagery of nightly rounds within her home, Clifton explores the continuity between generations, particularly the influence of her mother and a nurse figure on her own practices and perceptions of safety and comfort.

The opening lines, "i go through my rooms / like a witch watchman," immediately establish a tone of vigilance and a touch of the mystical, likening the speaker's actions to a ritualistic guarding of her space. The comparison to a "witch watchman" suggests an ancestral and protective role, imbued with a sense of power and perhaps a connection to deeper, perhaps even magical, understandings of the world.

The phrase "mad as my mother was for / rattling knobs and / tapping glass" reveals the speaker's awareness of her own behaviors mirroring those of her mother, suggesting a lineage of women who perform these nightly rituals as a way to ensure safety and ward off harm. The use of "mad" here can be seen as a reference to both the fervor with which these actions are carried out and the societal judgment that might deem such meticulous care as excessive or irrational.

Clifton then introduces the figure of "our personal nurse," a caretaker who provided warmth and security during the speaker's childhood. The act of placing "the iron / wrapped in rags / near our cold toes" is a vivid and tender image of comfort and nurturing, an attempt to stave off the coldness of winter and provide warmth. This act symbolizes the nurse's role as a source of protection and care, akin to the mother's nighttime vigilance.

The speaker expresses a deep affection and gratitude toward the nurse, describing her as "thawed places and / safe walls to me," emphasizing the warmth and safety she provided. This characterization extends the theme of protection and nurturing, highlighting the importance of those who provide care and comfort in shaping our perceptions of safety and home.

As the poem closes, the speaker acknowledges her continuation of these practices, "ironing the winters warm and / shaking locks in the night / like a ghost." This repetition of the ritual across generations underscores the poem's themes of legacy and memory, suggesting that these actions are not merely practical measures but deeply ingrained practices that connect the speaker to her past and her loved ones.

"In the Evenings" is a poignant meditation on the rituals that bind families and generations, imbued with a sense of the sacred and the protective. Lucille Clifton masterfully captures the emotional depth and significance of these nightly rounds, revealing the ways in which they serve as a link to our ancestors and a manifestation of our ongoing care for those we love. Through her evocative imagery and nuanced exploration of family dynamics, Clifton invites readers to reflect on their own practices of care and the legacies they carry forward.

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