The following are the first two of four poems I'm featuring here from Guyanese poet, Grace Nichols' sexy little collection titled The Fat Black Woman's Poems. The poems tell of a fat black woman's trials and tribulations, as well as her moments of triumph in a foreign land. Enjoy!
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The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping Shopping in London winter
is a real drag for the fat black woman
going from store to store in search of accommodating clothes and de weather so cold Look at the frozen thin mannequins fixing her with grin and de pretty face salesgals exchanging slimming glances thinking she don’t notice Lord is aggravating Nothing soft and bright and billowing to flow like breezy sunlight when she walking The fat black woman curses in Swahili/Yoruba and nation language under her breathing all this journeying and journeying The fat black woman could only conclude that when it come to fashion the choice is lean Nothing much beyond size 14 ________ Looking at Miss World Tonight the fat black woman is all agaze will some Miss (plump at least if not fat and black) uphold her name The fat black woman awaits in vain slim after slim aspirant appears baring her treasures in hopeful despair this the fat black woman can hardly bear And as the beauties yearn and the beauties yearn the fat black woman wonders when will the beauties ever really burn O the night wears on the night wears on judges mingling with chiffons The fat black woman gets up and pours some gin toasting herself as a likely win
[Coming Monday: "Beauty" and "Invitation."]
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Other posts on Grace Nichols:
