What the mirror said

listen,

you a wonder.
you a city
of a woman.
you got a geography
of your own.
listen,
somebody need a map
to understand you.
somebody need directions
to move around you.
listen,
woman,
you not a noplace
anonymous
girl;
mister with his hands on you
he got his hands on
some
damn
body!                -Lucille Clifton

Lines 1-6: There is complexion to this woman's body. Clifton is describing a girl, but not just any girl. He does not put her in any classification, she is a one of a kind.
Lines 7-11: Once again, the woman he is describing and unique. What may work or what he may know about other woman will not work on her. I find humor in these lines.
Lines 12-16: This woman is special to him and deserves the utmost attention. She didn't come from "noplace" and she won't end up there either. This entire poem can be seen as a confidence booster.
Lines 17-21: These last lines twist the entire poem. My first thought was a prostitute. If this is true, it creates the entire poem to be a plee for this woman to stop soliciting herself because she is "some damn woman." This leads me into the last three one word lines. These lines do not hold any negative connotations. By "some damn body" Clifton is expressing that her body is fantastic, it is a compliment, and that she shouldn't be abusing it like she is.

I like this poem, I didn't at first until I pulled my own understanding from it. I also really enjoy the "slang" in this poem. It adds to the meaning and the tone and also to the humor in lines 7-11. Nice upgrade from my last poem!