Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"oh antic God" by Lucille Clifton is a poignant and deeply personal poem that delves into the themes of memory, loss, and the yearning for connection with those who have passed, particularly the speaker's mother. Through a tender and evocative invocation of the "antic God," Clifton explores the complex layers of grief, reminiscence, and the passage of time, as she seeks to bridge the gap between the past and the present, the eternal and the ephemeral.

The poem opens with a direct appeal to the divine, "oh antic God," a phrase that immediately sets a tone of intimacy and urgency. The use of "antic" suggests a capricious or unpredictable deity, one who might possess the power to bend the rules of time and mortality. Clifton's request, "return to me / my mother in her thirties," is a poignant expression of longing, not just for her mother but for a specific time in her mother's life when she was vibrant and alive, a stark contrast to the reality of loss the speaker faces.

The vivid imagery of the mother "leaned across the front porch / the huge pillow of her breasts / pressing against the rail / summoning me in for bed" captures a moment of domestic intimacy and maternal care. This scene is imbued with a sense of warmth and safety, evoking a child's perspective of their mother as a source of comfort and protection. Clifton's ability to conjure this image so vividly underscores the enduring impact of these memories, even as they begin to fade with time.

The speaker's acknowledgment of her own age, "I am almost the dead woman’s age times two," serves as a stark reminder of the relentless march of time and the ways in which our perception of our loved ones is frozen at the point of their passing. This realization brings into focus the distance between the speaker's current self and the memories of her mother, highlighting the transformative effect of time on memory and identity.

Clifton's admission that she can "barely recall her song / the scent of her hands" speaks to the gradual erosion of memory, the fading of sensory details that once were vivid and immediate. Yet, the presence of the mother "scratches my dreams / at night" suggests that, despite the dimming of specific memories, the emotional and psychological imprint of the mother remains strong, haunting the speaker's subconscious.

The poem concludes with a repetition of the appeal to the divine, "return to me, oh Lord of then / and now, my mother’s calling, / her young voice humming my name." This closing plea is both a wish for the impossible return of the mother and a recognition of the enduring power of her presence in the speaker's life. Clifton's use of "then / and now" underscores the desire to collapse the distance between past and present, to momentarily restore the connection that death has severed.

"oh antic God" is a deeply moving exploration of loss, memory, and the enduring bonds of love that persist beyond death. Clifton's mastery of language and imagery, coupled with the emotional depth of her subject matter, makes this poem a powerful testament to the complexity of grieving and the human capacity to hold onto love and memory in the face of inevitable loss.

POEM TEXT: https://www.boaeditions.org/products/the-terrible-stories

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