the dance of Jesus music holds the air

Jacob Lawrence

Jacob Lawrence

Easter

During the heyday of the Black Pride movement in the 1960s and ’70s, Lucille Clifton drew upon her Christian upbringing to rethink the gospels. For her, Easter is about many kinds of resurrection, social and political as well as spiritual. Those who have been beaten down can stand tall again.

Here are five joyous poems, appearing in good news about the earth (1972), that take us from Lent into Easter. The Lord is risen!

From some jesus

By Lucille Clifton

the raising of lazarus

the dead shall rise again
whoever say
dust must be dust
don’t see the trees
smell rain
remember Africa
everything that goes
can come
stand up
even the dead shall rise

palm sunday

so here come i
home again
and the people glad
giving thanks
glorying in the brother
laying turnips
for the mule to walk on
waving beets
and collards in the air

good friday

i rise up above my self
like a fish flying

men will be gods
if they want it

easter sunday

while i was in the middle of the night
I saw red stars and black stars
pushed out of the sky by white ones
and i knew as sure as jungle
is the father of the world
i must slide down like a great dipper of stars
and lift men up

spring song

the green of Jesus
is breaking the ground
and the sweet
smell of delicious Jesus
is opening the house and
the dance of Jesus music
has hold of the air and
the world is turning
in the body of Jesus and
the future is possible

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