Summary
The speaker asserts that her hips are big, and that they need space: they can't be confined to small spaces. They are, the speaker says, free.
Analysis
From the start of the poem, Clifton uses simple diction, and tends to choose short, often one-syllable words. This creates a tone of bluntness and intimacy, which contributes to the reader's sense that the speaker is assertive and utterly sure of what she says. Also contributing to this impression of confidence is the repetition of the word "hips." This repetition does not merely create an anchoring musical repetition, propelling the poem forward—it also communicates that the speaker is determined to discuss the topic of her choice, and is unequivocal about doing so.
The speaker demonstrates a simultaneous commitment to freedom and decisiveness. On the one hand, she (and her hips) are at liberty to do what they want, to be spontaneous and impulsive. On the other hand, she is focused, unerring, and resolute. The poem's shifting between end-stopped and enjambed lines does important work in demonstrating these two paired, somewhat juxtaposed states of being. With end-stopped lines, in which a phrase ends or pauses precisely where the line break falls, Clifton demonstrates her speaker's competent resolution. These moments of the poem appear planned and calculated for maximum impact and emphasis. On the other hand, enjambed lines, in which a line break falls in the middle of an ongoing phrase, create feelings of unpredictability and whimsy. This makes enjambment an apt choice for a sentence like "these hips / are free hips," with an unpredictable line break providing an example of the author's reveling in rhetorical freedom.
This opening half of the poem focuses on the speaker's ability to occupy both physical and social space, in ways that demonstrate her power but that also violate certain expectations of femininity—both beauty standards dictating how women's bodies should look, and standards of behavior that demand acquiescence and submission. The speaker notes that her hips require space, in a statement that is both literal and metaphorical. This culminates in the observation "they don't fit into little / petty places." This alludes to literal body size, but the word "petty" also suggests that the speaker expects to be taken seriously, rather than be seen as unimportant and frivolous. Finally, because "petty" calls to mind the similar (and more commonly-used) word "pretty," Clifton is also very subtly suggesting that her speaker is uninterested in adhering to certain restrictive norms of feminine beauty.
