The Lost Baby Poem

"the mother" by Gwendolyn Brooks (1945)

Gwendolyn Brooks’s controversial poem “the mother” explores the feelings and repercussions of a woman who has had multiple abortions. The poem was written and published 30 years before women were guaranteed the right to a safe abortion in the United States. Much like Clifton’s poem, “the mother” is an apostrophe, written in dedication to her aborted children.

"Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes (1922)

Langston Hughes’s poem “Mother to Son,” describes a lecture a mother would give to her son about perseverance and hope. The mother describes her difficult life and the painful obstacles she has faced, attempting to turn her struggles into a lesson of inspiration and encouragement for her son. With a central metaphor of a staircase, the poem touches on themes of racial inequality, poverty, and trauma.

"won’t you celebrate with me" by Lucille Clifton (1993)

Published and written many years after “the lost baby poem,” Clifton’s poem “won’t you celebrate with me” takes on a very different tone—one of victory and pride. The poem celebrates the speaker’s accomplishments as a Black woman and the many obstacles she has overcome. The poem is an ode to the speaker’s crafting a beautiful life against all odds, even death.