Who Said It Was Simple by Audre Lorde
Who Said It Was Simple
Audre LordeThere are so many roots to the tree of anger
that sometimes the branches shatter
before they bear.Sitting in Nedicks
the women rally before they march
discussing the problematic girls
they hire to make them free.
An almost white counterman passes
a waiting brother to serve them first
and the ladies neither notice nor reject
the slighter pleasures of their slavery.
But I who am bound by my mirror
as well as my bed
see causes in colour
as well as sexand sit here wondering
which me will survive
all these liberations.
MARGINALIA
I am so angry. I am wondering which part of me will survive today.
ABOUT AUDRE LORDE
A self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Lorde was born in New York City to West Indian immigrant parents. Lorde’s early collections of poetry include The First Cities (1968), Cables to Rage (1970), and From a Land Where Other People Live (1972), which was nominated for a National Book Award. Later works,… (more)
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ENDNOTES
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