Poem by Audre Lorde

Poem by Pat Mora

Audre Lorde (19341992) was born in New York City and

found early success in writing poetry. Lorde used poetry as a
means of expression and a way to communicate. She became
a published author when a popular magazine published one
of her poems while she was still in high school. In addition to
poetry, Lorde also wrote acclaimed essays and novels. She
won many important awards for her writing and worked to
support several social causes close to her heart. Toward the end
of her life, Lorde took the African name Gamba Adisa, which is
believed to mean she who makes her meaning clear.
Pat Mora (b. 1942) was born in El Paso, Texas. She comes
from a Mexican American family and considers herself
fortunate to be bilingual and have the ability to write in both
Spanish and English. She has written several books of poetry,
as well as childrens books and essays. Mora takes pride in
being a Hispanic writer. She says that she will continue to write
and to struggle to say what no other writer can say in quite the
same way she can. Family, Mexican American culture, and the
desert are all important themes in Moras work.

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SETTING A PURPOSE Both of these poems focus on

communication during adolescence. As you read, think
about the subject and how it is presented from two
different points of view. How is the message in each
poem communicated to readers?

Poems

229

Hanging Fire
Poem by Audre Lorde

10

15

20

25

30

35

I have to learn how to dance

in time for the next party
my room is too small for me
suppose I die before graduation
they will sing sad melodies
but finally
tell the truth about me
There is nothing I want to do
and too much
that has to be done
and mommas in the bedroom
with the door closed.
Nobody even stops to think
about my side of it
I should have been on Math Team
my marks were better than his
why do I have to be
the one
wearing braces
I have nothing to wear tomorrow
will I live long enough
to grow up
and mommas in the bedroom
with the door closed.

230 Collection 4

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I am fourteen
and my skin has betrayed me
the boy I cannot live without
still sucks his thumb
in secret
how come my knees are
always so ashy
what if I die
before morning
and mommas in the bedroom
with the door closed.

Teenagers
Poem by Pat Mora

One day they disappear

into their rooms.
Doors and lips shut,
and we become strangers
in our own home.
I pace the hall, hear whispers,
a code I knew but cant remember,
mouthed by mouths I taught to speak.

10

15

Years later the door opens.

I see faces I once held,
open as sunflowers in my hands. I see
familiar skin now stretched on long bodies
that move past me
glowing
almost like pearls.

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COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION Both speakers address the

idea of a lack of communication between parents and children.
With a partner, discuss what might be the cause of this lack of
communication. Cite specific evidence from the texts to support
your ideas.

Poems

231