“hanging fire”
by audre lorde

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 the morning comes
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.

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 momma’s 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 momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.

source: lorde, audre. “hanging fire.” the black unicorn: poems. new york: kitchen table: women of color press, 1978. el camino college. web. 06 june 2011.

which poetic techniques are illustrated in the opening lines “i am fourteen/and my skin has betrayed me/the boy i cannot live without/still sucks his thumb/in secret”?

alliteration and metaphor

allusion and alliteration

apostrophe and simile

personification and enjambment