wishes for sons

Lucille Clifton’s poem “wishes for sons” is an 18-line free verse poem, meaning that there are no consistent patterns of rhyme, rhythm, or meter throughout the entirety of the piece. The poem contains four concise stanzas, or groupings of lines, in which the speaker wishes the experiences of menstruation and menopause onto young men.

The most distinct element found within the form of Clifton’s “wishes for sons” is her avoidance of capitalization. The poem, already stark with 18, short lines of verse, lacks any type of traditional capitalization. Neither the word “i,” denoting that the speaker is talking in the first person, nor the title of the poem are capitalized. This move does not make the poem feel unfinished but rather strips away any distraction that might cause readers to stray from the poem’s deeper meaning. Clifton’s uncapitalized poem feels more casual and conversational as a result, creating a natural flow (not unlike that of a period) that leads readers quickly to the final stanza and Clifton’s interrogation of female healthcare and experiences with pain and bloodshed.