Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Suffer the Children," penned in 1964, Audre Lorde touches on grave themes of waste, loss, and the tragic cost of human hate. While the poem's overt subject is about children "who are murdered / before their lives begin," it can be read as an allegory for the broader societal damage that comes from hatred, indifference, and ignorance. Lorde is known for her commitment to exploring the intricacies of intersectional identities and societal issues, and this poem resonates strongly with her ongoing themes.

"He is forever trapped / who suffers his own waste," the poem begins, laying down the foundation of its critique. Waste here is not just material but moral and emotional, affecting not just the individual but the collective. The waste is echoed in "Rain leaching the earth for lack / of roots to hold it"-another powerful metaphor illustrating that waste begets waste; it perpetuates a cycle of loss and suffering, much like hatred perpetuates violence.

The imagery of "fields lie parched by drought" and the mention of a farmer who "pays his crops to the sun" evoke ecological catastrophe but also stand as metaphors for human relationships and communities. Lorde might be suggesting that a society without compassion is like earth without roots; it cannot hold itself together and is doomed to unravel.

"But who shall disinter these girls / to love the women they were to become / or read the legends written beneath their skin?" This part of the poem is particularly striking. It reminds the reader that these lost lives were not just potential human beings but would have been complex individuals, capable of love and deserving of it in return. The legends "written beneath their skin" hint at the untapped potential, the stories left untold and unheard because of the violence enacted upon them.

As the poem progresses to its conclusion, it also delves into the psychology of the perpetrator. "But he whose hate robs him of their gold / has yet to weep at night above their graves." Lorde emphasizes that the person who perpetrates hate also loses something precious, even if he has yet to recognize or mourn that loss.

"A year rolls out. Rains come again." Despite the recurring cycles of nature, the damage done is irrevocable. "Someday a man will thirst for sleep / in a southern night / seeking his peace where no peace is / and come to mourn these children / given to the dust." It is a grim reminder that the consequences of our actions, especially those borne out of hate or neglect, leave a lasting imprint-sometimes one that cannot be mended even by the healing touch of time or nature.

"Suffer the Children" serves as a solemn commentary on the far-reaching impacts of hatred and neglect. Lorde captures the individual and collective losses that reverberate through time, indicting not just the perpetrators but also a society that allows such losses to occur. It is a sobering call to recognize and combat the destructive forces that deny certain individuals the opportunity to live, to grow, to become legends written into the fabric of humanity.

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