HOMEWORK 5
lady in yellow
it was graduation nite & i waz the only virgin in the crowd
bobby mills martin jerome & sammy yates eddie jones & randi
all cousins
all the prettiest niggers in this factory town
carried me out wit em
in a deep black buick
smellin of thunderbird & ladies in heat
we rambled from camden to mount holly
laughin at the afternoon's speeches
& danglin our tassles from the rear view mirror
climbin different sorta project stairs
movin toward snappin beer cans &
GET IT GET IT THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT MAMA
all mercer county graduated the same nite
cosmetology secretarial pre-college autoshop & business
all us movin from mama to what ever waz out there
that nite we raced a big ol truck from the barbeque stand
trying to tell him bout the party at jacqui's
where folks graduated last year waz waitin to hit it wid us
7/
i got drunk & cdn:t figure out
whose )land waz on my thig?/ but it didn't matter
cuz these )musins martin eddie Sammy jerome & bobby
waz my sweethearts alternately since the seventh grade
& everybody knew i always started cryin if somebody actually
tried to take advantage of me
at jacqui's
ulinda mason was stickin her mouth all out
while we tumbled out the buick
eddie jones, waz her lickin 'stick
but i knew how to dance
it got soo hot
vincent ramos puked all in the punch
& harly jumped all in tico's face
cuz he was leavin for the navy in the mornin
hadda kick ass so we'd all-remember how bad he waz
seems like sheila & marguerite waz fraid
to get their hair turnin back
so they laid up against the wall
lookin almost sexy
didnt wanna sweat
but me & my fellas we waz dancin
since 1963 i'd won all kinda contests
wid the cousins at the POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE DANCES
all mercer county knew
any kin to martin yates cd turn somersaults
fore smokey robinson cd get a woman excited
The Dells singing "Stay" is heard
we danced doin nasty ol tricks
The lady in yellow sings along
with the Dells for a moment. The
lady in orange and the lady in blue
jump up and parody the lady in
yellow and the Dells. The lady in
. yellow stares at them. They sit down.
doin nasty ol tricks i'd been thinkin since may
cuz graduation nite had to be hot
& i waz the only virgin
so i hadda make like my hips waz inta some business
that way everybody thot whoever was gettin it
was a older man cdnt ·run the streets wit youngsters
martin slipped his leg round my thigh
the dells bumped "stay"
up & down-up & down the new carver homes
WE WAZ GROWN WE WAZ FINALLY GROWN
ulinda alla sudden went crazy
went over to eddie cursin & carryin on
tearin his skin wid her nails
the cousins tried to talk sense to her
tried to hold her arms
lissin bitch sammy went on
8/ 9/
bobby whispered i shd go wit him
fore they go ta cuttin
fore the police arrived
we teetered silently thru tfte\Parkin lot
noun uhuh
we didn't know nothin bout no party
bobby started lookin at me
yeah
he started looking at me real strange
t
like i waz a woman or somethin/
started talkin real soft
in the backseat of that al buick
wow
by daybreak
i just cdnt stop grinnin.
lady in orange
i dont wanna write
in english or spanish
i wanna sing make you dance
like the bata dance scream
twitch hips wit me cuz
i done forgot all abt words
aint got no definitions
i wanna whirl
with you
Music starts, "Che Che Cole" by
Willie Colon.
Everyone starts to dance.
our whole body
wrapped like a ripe mango
ramblin whippin thru space
on the corner in the park
where the rug useta be
let willie colon take you out
swing your head
push your leg to the moon with me
i'm on the lower east side
in new york city
and i can't i can't
talk witchu no more
lady in yellow
we gotta dance to keep from cryin
lady in brown
we gotta dance to keep from dyin
lady in red
so come on
lady in brown
come on
lady in purple
come on
lady in orange
hold yr head like it was ruby sapphire
i'm a poet
who writes in english
come to share the worlds witchu
everyone
come to share our worlds witchu
we come here to be dancin
to be dancin
to be dancin
bay
lady in blue
a friend is hard to press charges against
lady in red
if you know him
you must have wanted it
lady in purple
a misunderstanding
lady in red
you know
these things happen
lady in blue
are you sure
you didnt suggest
lady in purple
had you been drinkin
lady in red
a rapist is always to be a stranger
to be legitimate
someone you never saw
a man wit obvious problems
lady in purple
pin-ups attached tothe insides of his lapels
lady in blue
ticket stubs from porno flicks in his pocket
lady in purple
a lil dick
lady in red
or a strong mother
lady in blue
or just a brutal virgin
lady in red
but if you've been seen in public wit him
danced one dance
kissed him good-bye lightly
lady in purple
wit closed mouth
lady in blue
pressin charges will be as hard
as keepin yr legs closed
while five fools try to run a train on you
lady in red
these men friends of ours
who smile nice
stay employed
and take us out to dinner
lady in purple
lock the door behind you
lady in blue
wit fist in face
to fuck
lady in red
who make elaborate mediterranean dinners
& let the art ensemble carry all ethical burdens
while the'y invite a coupla friends over to have you
are sufferin from latent rapist bravado
& we are left wit the scars
lady in blue
bein betrayed by men who know us
lady in purple
& expect
like the stranger
we always thot waz comin
lady in blue
that we will submit
lady in red
women relinquish all personal rights
in the presence of a man
who apparently cd ·be considered a rapist
lady in purple
especially if he has been considered a friend
lady in blue
& is no less worthy of bein beat witin an inch of his life
bein publicly ridiculed
havin two fists shoved up his ass
lady in red
than the stranger
we always. thot it wd be
lady in blue
who never showed up
lady in red
cuz it turns out the nature of rape has changed
lady in blue
we can now meet them in circles we frequent for companionship
lady in purple
we see them at the coffeehouse
lady in blue
wit someone else we know
lady in red
we cd even have em over for dinner
& get raped in our own houses by invitation
a friend
lady in red
orange butterflies & aqua sequins
ensconsed tween slight bosoms
silk roses dartin from behind her ears
the passion flower of southwest los angeles
meandered down hoover street
past dark shuttered houses where
women from louisiana shelled peas
round 3:00 & sent their sons
whistlin to the store for fatback & black-eyed peas
she glittered in heat
& seemed to be lookin for rides
when she waznt & absolutely
eyed every man who waznt lame white or noddin out
she let her thigh slip from her skirt
crossin the street
she slowed to be examined
& she never looked back to smile
or acknowledge a sincere 'hey mama'
or to meet the eyes of someone
purposely findin sometin to do in her direction
she waz sullen
& the rhinestones etchin the corners of her mouth
suggested tears
fresh kisses that had done no good
she always wore her stomach out
lined with small iridescent feathers
the hairs round her navel seemed to dance
& she didnt let on
she knew
from behind her waist waz aching to be held
the pastel ivy drawn on her shoulders
to be brushed with lips & fingers
smellin of honey & jack daniels
she waz hot
a deliberate coquette
who never did without
what she wanted
& she wanted to be unforgettable
she wanted to be a memory
a wound to every man
arragant enough to want her
she waz the wrath
of women in windows
fingerin shades/ ol lace curtains
camoflagin despair &
stretch marks
so she glittered honestly
delighted she waz desired
& allowed those especially
schemin/ tactful suitors
to experience her body & spirit
tearin/ so easily blendin with theirs/
& they were so happy
& lay on her lime sheets full & wet
from her tongue she kissed
them reverently even ankles
edges of beards ...
The stage goes to darkness except
for a special on the lady in red,
who lies motionless on the floor; as
the lights slowly fade up the lady
in red sits up.
at 4:30 AM
she rose
movin the arms & legs that trapped her
she sighed affirmin the sculptured man
& made herself a bath
of dark musk oil egyptian crystals
& florida water to remove his smell
to wash away the glitter
to watch the butterflies melt into
suds & the rhinestones fall beneath
her buttocks like smooth pebbles
in a missouri creek
layin in water
she· became herself
ordinary
brown braided woman
with big legs & full lips
reglar
seriously intendin to finish her
night's work
she quickly walked to her guest
straddled on her pillows & began
'you'll have to go now/ i've
a lot of work to do/ & i cant
with a man around/ here are yr pants/
there's coffee on the stove/ its been
very nice/ but i cant see you again/
you got what you came for/ didnt you'
& she smiled
he wd either mumble curses bout crazy bitches
or sit dumbfounded
while she repeated
'i cdnt possibly wake up/ with
a strange man in my bed/ why
dont you go home'
she cda been slapped upside the head
or verbally challenged
but she never waz
& the ones who fell prey to the
dazzle of hips painted with
orange blossoms & magnolia scented wrists
had wanted no more
than to lay between her sparklin thighs
& had planned on leavin before dawn
& she had been so divine
devastatingly bizarre the way
her mouth fit round
& now she stood a
reglar colored girl
fulla the same malice
livid indifference as a sistah
worn from supportin a wd be hornplayer
or waitin by the window
& they knew
& left in a hurry
she wd gather her tinsel &
jewels from the tub
& laugh gayly or vengeful
she stored her silk roses by her bed
& when she finished writin
the account of her exploit in a diary
embroidered with lilies & moonstones
she placed the rose behind her ear