the drum

daddy says the world is
a drum tight and hard
and i told him
i'm gonna beat
out my own rhythm

Nikki Giovanni

MORE SPICE THAN SUGAR
 

˹ѧÊ×ÍÃÇÁº·¡ÇÕàÅèÁ¹Õé»ÃСͺ仴éǺ·¡Å͹à¡ÕèÂǡѺ¼ÙéË­Ô§·Õèà¢Õ¹â´Â¡ÇÕÃèÇÁÊÁÑ ¼Ùé˭ԧ㹺·¡ÇÕàËÅèÒ¹Õé¤×ͼÙéË­Ô§·Õè¾Ö觾ҵÑÇàͧä´é ¼ÙéË­Ô§·Õèà»ç¹ÍÔÊÃÐ áÅÐà¢éÁá¢ç§ «Öè§ËÒ¡¨Ðà»ÃÕºà»ç¹ÃʪҵÔáÅéÇ ¡çà»ç¹¼ÙéË­Ô§·ÕèÁÕ¤ÇÒÁà¼ç´ÁÒ¡¡ÇèÒ¤ÇÒÁËÇÒ¹ ¼ÙéÃǺÃÇÁ¡Å͹àËÅèÒ¹Õéª×蹪ÁáÅеÃÐ˹ѡ㹤ÇÒÁÊÓàÃ稢ͧ¼ÙéË­Ô§ã¹ÂؤÊÁÑ·ÕèâÍ¡ÒÊà»Ô´¡ÇéÒ§ ¡ÇÕËÅÒº·ã¹¹Õéà¢Õ¹¶Ö§¼ÙéË­Ô§¤¹ÊӤѭ㹻ÃÐÇѵÔÈÒʵÃì àªè¹ á͹¹ì á¿Ã§¤ì à´ç¡Ë­Ô§ªÒÇÂÔÇ·ÕèÁÕä´ÍÒÃÕè·Õèâ´è§´Ñ§·ÕèÊØ´ã¹âÅ¡ ¿ÅÍàù«ì ¡ÃÔ¿¿Ô¸ ¨ÍÂà¹ÍÃì ¹Ñ¡ÇÔè§ÍàÁÃԡѹ âÃ«Ò »ÒÃì¤ Ë­Ô§¼ÔÇ´ÓÍàÁÃԡѹ·ÕèäÁèÊÅзÕè¹Ñ觺¹Ã¶àÁÅìãË餹¢ÒÇ ÊÔ觷Õèà¸Íä´é·Óà»ç¹¡ÒÃà»ÅÕè¹»ÃÐÇѵÔÈÒʵÃìáË觤ÇÒÁàÊÁÍÀÒ¤¢Í§Á¹ØÉÂìä´éÂÔè§ãË­è¹èÒÀÒ¤ÀÙÁÔ

ã¹àÅèÁÁÕÃÙ»»ÃСͺ仴éǵÅÍ´ ªÇ¹ãËéÍèÒ¹à¾ÅÔ¹ º·¡ÇÕã¹àÅèÁÁÑ¡à»ç¹º·ÊÑé¹æ áÅÐÍèÒ¹§èÒÂÁÒ¡ à¾ÃÒÐà»ç¹Ë¹Ñ§Ê×Í·ÕèµÑé§ã¨·ÓÊÓËÃѺàÂÒǪ¹ÍèÒ¹ ÁÕº·¡ÇÕ¹èÒÃÑ¡¹èÒʹã¨ËÅÒº· º··Õè¹èÒÍèÒ¹º·Ë¹Ö觤×ͨ´ËÁÒÂÃÑ¡¨Ò¡à´äÅÅÒËì¶Ö§á«Á«Ñ¹·Õè¹ÓÁÒãËéÅͧÍèÒ¹ã¹Ë¹éÒ¹Õé àÃ×èͧ㹾ÃФÑÁÀÕÃìäºàºÔÅàÃ×èͧ˹Ö觡ÅèÒǶ֧à´äÅÅÒËì Ë­Ô§ªÒÇ¿ÔÅÔÊ·Õ¹ ¤¹ÃÑ¡¢Í§à¸Í¤×Íá«Á«Ñ¹¼ÙéÁÕàÃÕèÂÇáçÁËÒÈÒÅ áÅÐÂѧà»ç¹ÈѵÃ١Ѻ¾Ç¡¿ÔÅÔÊ·Õ¹ à´äÅÅÒËìÃÙéÇèÒ¤ÇÒÁá¢ç§áç¢Í§á«Á«Ñ¹ÁÕ¤ÇÒÁÅѺ·ÕèàÊé¹¼Á Çѹ˹Öè§à¸Í¨Ö§áͺµÑ´¼Á¢Í§à¢ÒÍÍ¡µÍ¹·Õèá«Á«Ñ¹ËÅÑºä» «Ö觷ÓãËéá«Á«Ñ¹Íè͹áͨ¹¶Ù¡¾Ç¡¿ÔÅÔÊ·Õ¹¨Ñºä´é ã¤Ãæ ÁÑ¡¤Ô´ÀÒ¾ÇèÒà´äÅÅÒËìà»ç¹Ë­Ô§¼Ùé·ÃÂÈ áµè¡ÇÕ·Õèà¢Õ¹¶Ö§à¸ÍäÁèä´é¤Ô´ÍÂèÒ§¹Ñé¹ ã¤Ã·Õèʹã¨ÅͧÍèÒ¹´Ùä´éÇèÒ¨´ËÁÒÂÃÑ¡¢Í§à´äÅÅÒËì¶Ö§á«Á«Ñ¹¨Ðà¢Õ¹ÇèÒÍÂèÒ§äÃ

˹ѧÊ×ÍàÅèÁ¹ÕéÇÒ§ÊдشµÒÍÂÙèã¹Ãéҹ˹ѧÊ×Í㹪èǧà´×͹ÁÕ¹Ò¤Á·Õè¼èÒ¹ÁÒ «Öè§ÃéÒ¹¡ÓÅѧ¨Ñ´à·È¡ÒÅ˹ѧÊ×Íà¡ÕèÂǡѺ¼Ùé˭ԧ㹪èǧÇѹʵÃÕÊÒ¡Å ÃÙ»àÅèÁ¢Í§Ë¹Ñ§Ê×͹èÒÃÑ¡¨¹¹èÒËÂÔºÁÒÍèÒ¹ àÁ×èÍÅͧà»Ô´º·áá the drum ¡ç·ÓãËéªÍº¨¹ÇÒ§äÁèŧ (¡Å͹º·¹Õéà¢Õ¹â´Â Nikki Giovanni ¡ÇÕË­Ô§·Õè¹èÒʹ㨠áÅФÇäèҡѺ¡ÒÃá¹Ð¹ÓÁÒ¡¡ÇèÒ¡ÒáÅèÒǶ֧à¾Õ§»ÃÐâ¤ÊÑé¹æ àÃÒ¨ÐÁÒÃÙé¨Ñ¡à¸Íã¹à´×͹˹éÒ) ¡Å͹º·¹ÕéºÍ¡§èÒÂæ ÇèÒ¾èͺ͡ÇèÒâÅ¡¹Õé¤×Í¡Åͧ·ÕèµÖ§áÅÐá¢ç§á¹è¹ ©Ñ¹ºÍ¡¾èÍÇèҩѹ¨ÐµÕ仵ÒÁ¨Ñ§ËÇТͧµÑÇàͧ

¨Ñ§ËÇТͧ¼ÙéË­Ô§ã¹àÅèÁà»ç¹µÑǢͧµÑÇàͧ áÅÐà»ç¹¨Ñ§ËÇзÕèÊ´ãÊÃèÒàÃÔ§ ©Ñ¹¨Ðà¡çºË¹Ñ§Ê×Í¡Å͹¹ÕéäÇé ËÒ¡Çѹ¢éҧ˹éÒä´éÁÕÅÙ¡ÊÒÇ ©Ñ¹¤§ÍÂÒ¡ãËéà¸ÍÍèҹ˹ѧÊ×ÍàÅèÁ¹Õé à¾ÃÒÐäÁèÇèÒÅÙ¡¨Ðà»ç¹à´ç¡¼ÙéË­Ô§·Õè»ÃÒ´à»ÃÕÂÇËÃ×ÍÇèÒÍè͹ËÇÒ¹ ©Ñ¹¡çÍÂÒ¡ãËéà¸ÍÁըѧËÇТͧµÑÇàͧã¹áºº·Õèà¸ÍÍÂÒ¡à»ç¹

More Spice Than Sugar : Compiled by Lillian Morrison
illustrated by Ann Boyajian
ISBN 0-618-06892-9 Houghton Mifflin (Feb 2001) 80 pages $15 Hardcover

 
Family Eccentric

Marie is bald and doesn't
give a darn. To prove it
she often spits in public
and hates to wear a hat.

I hope she changes
for the better before
she learns to talk.

Edward Willey

 
Love Letter

Dear Samson,
I put your hair
in a jar
by the pear tree
near the well.
I been thinkin'
over what I done
and I still don't think
God gave you
all that strength
for you to kill
my people.

Love -- Delilah

Carole E. Gregory

 
Ain't I a Woman ?

That man over there say
      a woman needs to be helped into carriages
and lifted over ditches
      and to have the best place everywhere.
Nobody ever helped me into carriages
      or over mud puddles
            or gives me a best place...

And ain't I a woman?
      Look at me
Look at my arm!
      I have plowed and planted
and gathered into barns
      and no man could head me...
And ain't I a woman?
      I could work as much
and eat as much as a man --
      when I could get to it --
and bear the lash as well
      and ain't I a woman?

I have born 13 children
      and seen most all sold into slavery
and when I cried out a mother's grief
      none but Jesus heard me...
and ain't I a woman?
      that little man in black there say
a woman can't have as many rights as a man
      cause Christ wasn't born a woman
Where did your Christ come from?
      From God and a woman!
Man had nothing to do with him!
      If the first woman God ever made
was strong enough to turn the world
      upside down, all alone
together women ought to be able to turn it
      rightside up again.

Sojourner Truth
(adapted to poetry by Erlene Stetson)