Where to go? Poem #1 and Criticism Sources Main Page http://www.poets.org/ poets/poets.cfm?prmID=80&CFID= 1926560&CFTOKEN=21260709

"in salem" 1 weird sister 2 the black witches know that 3 the terror is not in the moon 4 choreographing the dance of wereladies 5 and the terror is not in the broom 6 swinging around to the hum of cat music 7 nor the wild clock face grinning from the wall, 8 the terror is in the plain pink 9 at the window 10 and the hedges moral as fire 11 and the plain face of the white woman watching us 12 as she beats her ordinary bread. -Lucille Clifton The theme of "in salem" involves race relations, and it includes many of Clifton's personally popular ideas. The first of these ideas is that evil is in the world because people allow it. This poem basically states that the "black witches" (2) know that the "terror" (3) is not in anything but the white woman: the terror is in the plain pink at the window and the hedges moral as fire and the plain face of the white woman watching us . . . (8 - 11). These characters in "in salem" will influence the disorder of a foolish world, another of Clifton's traditions; this fact is because the characters are witches. Witches are often linked with manipulation. She also paints a "[portrait] of dignity and strength in the face of suffering" (Draper) when she describes the knowledge of the witches. Although these witches are looked down upon and feared they do not hide, but are knowledgeable and confident of the truth. It also seems that she "[relishes] being different" (Napierkowski) in this poem, as McCloskey noticed in her poetry. The witches are clearly different from the "white woman" (11) that "beats her ordinary bread" (12), which is presented as a positive fact. Clifton's poem "in salem" demonstrates grammatical ingenuities similar to those in "the lost baby poem", as well a large amount of imagery. The only difference in grammar is the fact that she uses a comma in line 7 and a period in the last line. The imagery is as powerful as the imagery in "the lost baby poem"; "wild clock face grinning from the wall" (7) has a nice effect on the reader. She uses repetition more often in this poem, however, which is another grammatical aspect that she is known for using. The phrase "the terror is" is used in lines 3, 5, and 8 for emphasis. Also, the word "plain" is used in line 8 and line 11 to describe the woman's face. Clifton most likely uses this image to "[cultivate] black identity and pride" (Draper).