Climbing Introduction

“Climbing” is the first original poem in Lucille Clifton’s collection The Book of Light, published by Copper Canyon Press, in 1993. It is in a section titled “Reflection,” which comes directly after a found poem, “Light.” In a lyric of twelve short lines, Clifton uses simple, accessible language to imagine what it would be like to be sixty years old. The speaker imagines herself in the future and uses that image to make statements to herself about what might have been different in her life. The poem’s tone, however, is not one of despair but rather of achievement. The speaker doesn’t really wish she had made other choices; rather, she seems proud of the decisions she has made and acknowledges the struggle ahead as she ages. Themes that the poem addresses include the relationship between ageing and desire, time and regret, and the ways in which self-image changes as human beings age. Clifton was in her mid-fifties when she wrote the poem, and there is much autobiographical material in it. The title of the collection could just as easily have been called The Book of Lucille, as Lucille derives from the Latin word lucius, meaning “light.” Many of the poems in the collection address family members, both dead and alive, and a few poems address political figures, such as Senator Jesse Helms, and fictional figures, such as Clark Kent. Some are dramatic monologues, others confessional lyrics. All of the poems are marked by revelation and insight and evoke universal experiences to appeal to readers.

Climbing Summary

Lines 1–2
In the first few lines of “Climbing,” the speaker sets the tone of the poem by describing a ghostly apparition. By describing the woman on the rope as having “dangling braids the color of rain,” the speaker signals that she is in the realm of the imagination. Rain is transparent and has no color per se. Rope, as a symbol, has many associations: it is both a form of transportation and a device used to pull things. It can also be used to hang people. The fact that it is a “long rope” implies that the speaker has a hard journey ahead of her.

Lines 3–5
In these lines, the speaker begins the list of “maybe’s” that structure the rest of the poem. By questioning whether she herself should have had braids, the speaker introduces the subject of regret. Braids themselves are decorative—and dangling braids more so—suggesting youth and vitality and a degree of sensuality. The speaker follows up this statement with a similar regret, this time wondering if she should have kept her younger body, which she describes as... » Complete Climbing Summary