The title of Lucille Clifton's poem, "forgiving my father", seems to be in stark opposition to the poem itself. There seems to be no forgiveness, yet the title states that there is. The entire poem centers on the author's father's debt. "It's Friday." he says "we have arrived at paying the bills". (1-2). But maybe it doesn't necessarily mean it's literally Friday, maybe it just means it's the end, and maybe the debt isn't of money, but of love. Clifton uses a monetary debt to symbolize a debt of love and affection. He uses this symbolism to show that at the end of the poem he has forgiven his father, but it is not forgiveness as we would normally think of it. The poem begins by talking about how it is payday, but the father, like a ghost, asks for more time to pay. How can a ghost pay for anything? Even if he managed to get the extension he would never be able to pay anything because he is dead. So why does he say it's payday? Perhaps the answer lies in lines 7 and 8 when he says: "my mother's hand opens in her early grave and I hold it out ...