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 interpretation.

But, you will probably read (in
criticism) that the fact that the speaker acknowledges Miss Rosie's past recognizes her
as a human being and not just a wet bag; as most people have become so used to homeless
people that they ignore them as they would trash in the street. In this interpretation,
when the speaker stands up, she is acknowledging Miss Rosie as a peasant would stand up
when a queen walks by. So, rather than standing up to look down, the speaker stands up
in deference or as in a standing ovation. Considering Lucille's frequent themes of
African-American heritage and feminism, this is certainly the intended interpretation.
In this case, she stands up “through” the destruction, meaning she symbolically shares
it, goes through it with Miss Rosie. Standing up is in support, sympathy and maybe even
reverence; not condescending.