It would make sense that in this case the speaker is using “boats” as a metaphor for a body but also for something more than the mere physical form of a person. In their most rudimentary form, a boat is a vessel that crosses water and often carries life or lives aboard. Presumably the boats may be a metaphor for the body or for a life. Next, “boats,” as plural suggests that she is going beyond her own “boat” to encompass multiple boats. Sidney Clifton reading 'blessing the boats' by Lucille Clifton as a thank you for backers of Lucille Clifton's Selected Poems on Kickstarter. This makes the “blessing” available to everyone who reads it and not to anyone in particular. The poem moves on to use the pronoun “our” (Line 3) and “you” (Line 4) rather than “I.” Clifton is drawing a circle that encompasses multiple people, including herself, the reader, and perhaps others who are not specifically named. The poem is about blessing, but it is not totally clear what the boats are. Beginning with the title “blessing the boats”, the speaker sets up an immediate intention. It relies on metaphors, and each metaphor may have several nuanced interpretations. Like many of Clifton’s poems, “blessing the boats” is short but dense.
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