How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
and my uncle brud has hit
for one dollar straight
and they is good times (4-6)
Happiness doesn't have to be about winning a million dollars. Sometimes just playing and winning at all is enough to have a good time. So money—or more specifically lots of money—isn't where true happiness lies in Clifton's poem. The actual act of playing is where the real fun is.
Quote #2
my mama has made bread
and grampaw has come
and everybody is drunk (9-11)
Having everyone together in the kitchen is where real happiness is. So with or without everyone being drunk, we know the speaker is reminding us of the simple joys that are more lasting than the more complicated ones.
Quote #3
oh children think about the
good times (17-18)
Kids have no problem thinking about good times, but even they need a reminder now and then not to dwell on the bad stuff. So by the end of the poem, the speaker is older and shares her insight into true happiness and the things that children should think about while growing up.