“Good Bones” adds to the works of poems rooted in protest, resistance, and empowerment. While not an openly confrontational poem, Smith’s “Good Bones” comments on similar themes to protest poetry, such as social justice and the exposure of grim truths. Poems in this literary tradition tend to advocate for change, raise consciousness, and establish a unified front against injustice or inhumanity. Poems in this category often have to do with peace and justice, calling—as Smith does—for a better world. Examples of other poets in this genre are Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Adrienne Rich.

Smith’s “Good Bones” uses the voice of a mother to identify injustices of raising a child in a world where horrible things happen. For instance, Smith states, “For every loved child, a child broken, bagged, / sunk in a lake” (Lines 9-10). Smith’s speaker asks, how does one explain this type of violence to their children? How does one explain to their child that this is the fate of some children?

Smith’s speaker also uses examples in nature (“stone thrown at a bird” [Line 8]) and questions the ubiquitous kindness of strangers (“for every kind stranger, / there is one who would break you” [Lines 11-12]).