Does the line "I stand up" in the poem "Miss Rosie" indicate that the speaker thinks that she is better than Miss Rosie?

I don't
think Clifton intended this poem to
mean that the speaker stands up in superiority over Miss
Rosie. But, I will
say that if you don't know Clifton's intent, the poem is totally vague on

this point. After a slew of insults, the speaker says "I stand up" and it really
seems
like she's saying "I am better than you; or this will never happen to
me." It really
sounds downright self-righteous on the speaker's part. Had the
poem ended with "why don't
you stand up" or "will you stand up."

"I stand up"
- "through your destruction." The use of the word
"through" just baffles me.
Through - as if the speaker is just plowing
through it; getting past it as you would through
some obstacle. In this
respect, I agree that it does sound like the speaker is being high and
mighty
here. And since I believe in the interpretation of the reader just as important as
the
inent of the author, this is a valid...