“ I started writing because there's an absence of things I was familiar with or that I dreamed about. One of my senses of anger is related to this vacancy - a yearning I had as a teenager... and when I… Ntozake Shange
“ Our society allows people to be absolutely neurotic and totally out of touch with their feelings and everyone else's feelings and yet be very respectable. Ntozake Shange
“ The slaves who were ourselves had known terror intimately, confused sunrise with pain, & accepted indifference as kindness. Ntozake Shange
“ I'm only human, & inadequacy is what makes us human, & if we was perfect we wdnt have nothin to strive for, so you might as well go on & forgive me pretty baby, cause i'm sorry Ntozake Shange
“ I am really colored & really sad sometimes & you hurt memore than i ever danced outta/ i am ready to die like a lily in thedesert/ & i cdnt let you in on it cuz i didnt know/ hereis what i have/ poems… Ntozake Shange
“ Ever since I realized there waz someone callt/ a colored girl an evil woman a bitch or a nag/ i been tryin not to be that & leave bitterness/ in somebody else's cup... Ntozake Shange
“ One thing I don’t needis any more apologiesi got sorry greetin me at my front dooryou can keep yrsi don’t know what to do wit emthey don’t open doorsor bring the sun backthey don’t make me happyor get… Ntozake Shange
“ But bein alive & bein a woman & bein colored is a metaphysicaldilemma/ i havent conquered yet/ do you see the pointmy spirit is too ancient to understand the separation of soul & gender/ my love is to… Ntozake Shange
