But Audre Lorde said it as well as I ever could want to, so I'll just select and borrow some of her words: "What is most important to me must be spoken...even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood... Your silence will not protect you... What are the words you do not yet [...]
Author: darlene anita scott
Where Shame Has No Home
…touch the scar to assure us the enemy lurking//will not bring shame where shame has no home. from “Touch: A Letter to the Mother” by L. Lamar Wilson I joined the ranks of the diagnosed mentally “ill” in 2006. Now my cursor is staring at me—accusing, threatening, impatient, nervous, and ashamed; daring me to say [...]
Monthly Meter: February
fellowship/publication submissions: 6 fellowship/publication acceptances: 1 fellowship/publication rejections: 6 books: Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth - Warsan Shire Secret Shame: Me. Trying to shimmy. A belly dancer with no shimmy game is belly dance blasphemy. Count me a Judas. Bleh. I'm working on it. Mantra of the Moment: A definite maybe.
Living It
This article a friend shared resonates with me. I'm just repeating this part for now though. 5 Principles For Living With A Creative Mind 1. Affirmation Creative people need a lot of encouragement. As confident as they may seem, they are also full of doubt. Affirmation helps to buffer the skinlessness of the creative person. It [...]
Mean Sleep: A Eulogy Sort Of
I used to be part of this poetry collective. I don't do belonging very well, so this was kind of a big deal. My membership pretty much consisted of showing up to the performances early, smiling nicely, and once I had to deliver the closing prayer at a meeting. Shy as I can be, I [...]
Say “Bob Marley” and it’s kinda like fighting words
Bob + Marley = get sumthin' started: the party, the loving, the revolution I was first introduced to Bob Marley through a PBS documentary about one of his concerts. My mom and dad owned one of his records--yes, literally a large round grooved piece of vinyl. So there is no question that along with the [...]
What had happened… (True story)
In 1999 or so a guy died in police custody. I know--a quite unfamiliar story. Especially in the sleepy little colonial capital of Dover, Delaware. Not that I hadn't been taught early on that "Dover cops" were "cowboys." They shot a dude in the dentist's chair! True story. There was mad shade surrounding [...]
Monthly Meter: January
fellowship/publication submissions: 7 fellowship/publication acceptances: 2 fellowship/publication rejections: 4 books: The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors - Leigh Ryan and Lisa Zimmerelli (compelling reading, hah)! How to Read the Air - Dinaw Mengestu Secret Shame: The size of my bowl of popcorn. I heart homemade popcorn. Mantra of the Moment: A definite maybe.
I *am* a miracle. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it).
I don’t think I’m particularly remarkable though. We are all the product of various circumstances that have felled lesser wo/men. Everyone is their own miracle.
Scabs and Scars
"Before I heal it's gonna be a while. Love has got me sore. I don't want no more." Green Eyes - Erykah Badu What are you left with once the pain is gone; once the scab is a scar? The healing process is not over just because you see a scar. Because you have to [...]
