The metaphor comparing the mother's life to a crystal staircase simultaneously personifies the pain in the life of a Black American woman while recalling the tradition of hope and faith that sustains her and allows her to endure.
The first seven lines describe in detail the extended metaphor of the stairway detailing the condition of the stairway and subsequently, the conditions of the mother's life. The staircase resembles a crumbling old staircase found in the run down tenement buildings African Americans are forced to live in during the period the poem is written. "It had tacks in it" describes carpet tacks: short, thin nails designed to hold carpet to the stairs with the least amount of damage to the wood (line 3). The tacks are potentially dangerous and unsightly, a reminder of the many hazards with every step. The tacks symbolize the oppression by whites she has encountered throughout her life. "And splinters": these tiny slivers of wood created when wood is shredded are capable of causing pain when skin comes in contact with them (line 4). As the mother makes her way up the stairs, the pressure of her feet on the shredded wood causes the slivers to penetrate creating pain. "And boards torn up" signifies that all the choices are not sure-footed and these encumbrances before they are overcome (line 5). "And places with no carpet on the floor / Bare" conveys there is nothing to cushion the impact of movement as the mother is climbing (line 6-7). There is nothing or no one to make her climb easier and this makes movement cold, naked and isolated. The metaphor of the staircase, combined with the description of its condition, give light to the pain, challenges and dangerous conditions the mother encounters in her life.
The poem continues with the next six lines describing the climb in participles; allowing for the details of the climb; describing experiences in life, giving the mother authority in her advice.
