won't you celebrate with me what i have shaped into a kind of life? i had no model. born in babylon both nonwhite and woman what did i see to be except myself? i made it up here on this bridge between starshine and clay, my one hand holding tight my other hand; come celebrate with me that everyday something has tried to kill me and has failed.
Lucille CliftonIn the bigger scheme of things the universe is not asking us to do something, the universe is asking us to be something. And that's a whole different thing.
Lucille CliftonEvery pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.
Lucille CliftonAll people, even one's own children, come with baggage. When they're little, you have to help them carry it. But when they grow up, you have to do that difficult thing of setting their baggage down and taking up your own again.
Lucille Clifton