It was a dream by Lucille Clifton

I don't quite know what to make of this piece. I think it is about the "greater self" or conscience coming through in a dream. It is accusatory and points out all the flaws of the speaker's life. Clifton's poem is free verse with no consistent rhyme pattern or rhythm. She also doesn't capitalize anything except the last line. The last line is what the greater self is telling the speaker she could have done. This makes sense to emphasize. Clifton also emphasizes the last line with the punctuation. "This. This. This." It makes the last line very forceful. As a whole, Clifton uses a lot of imagery. When I read the poem, I thought of Ursula from "The Little Mermaid." I know she is not exactly akin to a conscience, but she can be very angry. I pictured her underwater with her hair fanned out and her face is red from screaming. It's not exactly a pretty picture, but I think it captures the image created by the poem well.