Adrienne Rich

"A year, ten years from now, I'll remember this; not why, only that we were here like this, together."

- Adrienne Rich, poet

Adrienne Rich

"Was it worth while to lay -
with infinite exertion -
a roof I can't live under?"

- 'The Roofwalker' by Adrienne Rich

In this poem, Rich talks about her fear of exposing herself artistically, but also of the unhappiness that comes with stifling her creativity. She talks of the male-dominated world of poetry, which she is afraid to enter, because she will be vulnerable, exposed, but she wonders in these lines if the effort it has taken to restrict herself creatively has even been worth it, as now she feels that she can no longer hide beneath the roof she has built for herself. In addition, I think it's interesting that the term "glass ceiling" had not been coined at the time this poem was written (1961) yet when we read it now, it has that double meaning, although Rich's ceiling is self-constructed.

Adrienne Rich

"Weather abroad
And weather in the heart alike come on
Regardless of prediction."

- 'Storm Warnings' by Adrienne Rich

In this poem, Rich uses the metaphor of a storm to represent change and its unpredictability, its inevitability, but also the inevitable and unstoppable nature of human emotions. We can attempt to control or predict our emotions, as we attempt to with the weather, but it is futile - the storms in our heart are as unstoppable as those in the sky overhead.

Adrienne Rich

"Lying is done with words and also with silence."

- Adrienne Rich, poet

Adrienne Rich

"The moment of change is the only poem."

- Adrienne Rich, poet

Adrienne Rich

"When a woman tells the truth she is creating the possibility for more truth around her."

- Adrienne Rich, poet