Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Auction Street" by Lucille Clifton is a poignant and profound meditation on the historical atrocities of slavery and the enduring spiritual and cultural reverberations of such trauma. Through the symbolic use of the drum and the evocative setting of Auction Street, Clifton invites readers to reflect on the deep wounds inflicted by the slave trade and the sacred resilience of those who suffered through it. The poem oscillates between the physical and the metaphysical, grounding its exploration of suffering in the tangible while reaching toward a spiritual reckoning and call for reverence.

The poem begins with an imperative: "consider the drum." This command sets the tone for a contemplative journey, urging the reader to delve deeper into the symbolism of the drum—a musical instrument that carries with it the echoes of African heritage, communication, and community, as well as the pain of its beat being co-opted into the narrative of slavery. The drumbeat here is not just rhythm; it's a pulse, a heartbeat of a people, and a haunting reminder of their forced journey and enslavement.

"Auction Street" is not merely a location but a symbol of the marketplace where human lives were traded as commodities. Clifton's use of the word "beat" to describe the sensation "throbbing up through our shoes" effectively connects the present to the past, suggesting that the legacy of the slave auctions continues to resonate, literally and figuratively, beneath our feet. This resonance is so powerful that it even influences the movement of the trolley, metaphorically propelled by the spirits of the "hundreds, by thousands / of fathers and mothers / led in a coffle / to the block."

The "block" itself is given a chilling personification, described as being "topside smooth as skin" and "almost translucent like a drum," evoking both the human cost of slavery and the instrument that symbolizes their culture and suffering. This block, marked by its finality—"for the last time"—and its silent wait to be "honored / for the music it has had to bear," serves as a somber memorial to the lives shattered upon it and the resilience of those who endured.

Clifton concludes the poem with a reference to "brother moses," alluding to Moses of the Bible and his divine encounter on the mountaintop, where he was commanded to remove his shoes because the ground he stood on was holy. This biblical allusion elevates the ground of Auction Street—and by extension, all sites of profound suffering—to sacred status. It is a call to recognize the sanctity of these spaces of historical trauma, to approach them with reverence, and to acknowledge the pain and resilience they embody.

"Auction Street" is a powerful invocation of memory and spirituality, urging us to bear witness to the atrocities of the past while recognizing the sacred strength of those who survived. Clifton masterfully weaves together the tangible and the transcendent, challenging readers to confront the legacy of slavery and to honor the holy ground tread by those who suffered through it. Through her evocative imagery and deep reverence for the resilience of the human spirit, Clifton offers a somber yet sacred tribute to the enduring impact of slavery on the collective memory and cultural identity of African Americans.

POEM TEXT: https://voetica.com/poem/13405

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