Now that's getting it out and on the page. Bleed on.

Ron

Powerful poetry this is the max!:)
"When I write…I write free
When I write…I write me
When I write…I write from both ends
When I write…I write feeding off passion
Where would I be without reality? "

Thank you for reading my poem.
Nila

you have this ability to write powerful pieces whether they deal with contemporary problems of injustice, or simply delicious erotica. your work never fails to intrigue. Keep up the good work.

This is a powerful write, Mitzi. My best friends are Black, but not very political. We see each other the same. But often, when I'm out and about, I feel a prejudice against me from Black people I don't know. It seems to work both ways, depending on the person.

You rock Mitzi! I'm so glad you're writing. I don't know if you ever read in public but if you do, and you ever make it down to Manhattan to read. Please drop me a line. You do write some great F***in poetry.

Peace
makowski

i learn from wise men ... one who said a man should always be judged by the quality of his character ... and that's what i do, look at most individuals as real characters ...

This Needs To Be Read By All Who Turn There Backs On Those Poor Black, Whites- Children In Particular,i.e. "White Trash" $Greed Mongering Corporations$ Who Are Destroying This Country By Minute!

They Think There Millions $$$ Can Buy Anything,i.e. They Cannot Buy Me,TRASK Nor (God) Doesn't Need Moneys To Bury Your Sorry Asses In Holy Hell--I Dare You Turn To Your Right And-----Blink!!

Tell It Like It Is Mitzi--Excellent!

TRASK

“great majority of “Nigga’s” the exact opposite have evolved throughout the past forty years” WoW….First let me say that the word Nigga came from White Americans who were frustrated when they came across a rebellious slave….a black person who wasn’t trying to conform to the masters rules, laws. The word was meant to hurt, but I won’t allow a word as such to hurt, because I believe in rebelling and if that makes me considered to be a “Nigga” I were the crown proudly. Secondly, to say “Nigga’s” evolved throughout past forty years is to admit we were ones and your list adding a couple as follows: Cosby, I saw him today on Dr. Phil, King, Colin Powell, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell and Condoleezza Rice and Chris Rock are all I believe outstanding Black Americans who believe in conforming to White America society are not “the evolved Nigga” And a disagree when you say that Martin Luther King dream has became a reality……when there is still a very, very huge gap in what’s available to your children and mine, when there are if haven’t succeeded already in cutting the very cord that allowed a Colin Powell and a Condoleezza Rice to even be (Affirmative Action). Forty years compared to three/four hundred years is just in corrective~ness? Cosby and all the others I named in this comment are those to be admired for sure, Behold the Underlying Truth, not all of us has been blessed with the Desire or Means to adjust or conform to White Americas idea of life or culture. Especially when there is still sooo much trickery involved, when there is sooo much racial profiling, still sooo much stereo-typing, still so much harassment. Truly if Martin Luther King’s dream was a reality there wouldn’t be so many hate crimes and bashing. The ideal of gay and lesbian marriages wouldn’t be such an issue or the need for Celebes….to choose or tell what race they claim. Most blacks are busy chasing the American Dream trying to fit into the American culture, when we need to be healing, constructing, and concentrating on Black American culture. It is not enuf to have a Colin Powell or a Bill Cosby. There is a strong need for a healing in my community and a learning of who we rightfully are….and no amount of one or two or ten of us being recognized as evolved nigga’s is going to help my culture as a whole. We were Nina Simone. I use and say nigga, just as I say ain’t, just as I say cause, it’s not that I don’t have the education to say others it is because it keeps me in touch with reality with that slave girl or boy or that young black child or confused teen who believed them in what the word “Nigga” is suppose to mean…..I let them no you can be a nigga and go to school, you can be a nigga and reach your dream and make money, and have love and know how to love and be loved. I left no one out because I thought of length and I used those who were more important to me. Do the maths of the eighteenth passage, of those lynched throughout America, not tenth at all sir. Get the book “Without Sanctuary” . And then talked about treatment. True the only ones sold by their own kind what is also true is the only ones without a culture of their own the very fabric of cohesiveness, welfare is the least one can do to make-up for the lies that were taught and still is taught in our classrooms. Generation of generation separated by generation of being used against one another lighter with darker, older with younger etc….taught that black is negative, just look in the dictionary. With soo much damage more damage than all the groups you named…..how and why do you still think there is a problem, the way there is a problem. Welfare was a good ideal gone wrong, gangs were a good ideal gone wrong, music is riding the fence and drugs were brought here by who, given to whom for what purpose again? Nigga the word should be repulsive, the ppl who thought it up and use it are repulsive….but a generation has come along and has taken some of the repulsive things that were done to them and turned it into something else and you know some ppl rather keep this in the closet, or leave it behind….it won’t happen till a lot of the wrongs have been corrected. And never have I said all whites are bad, there was a white teacher who embraced me as yet any other woman or man has embraced me, and I owe her a great gratitude, I like to think I have white friends here at this site who have embraced me as well. So no I haven’t forgotten about those who died along side of blacks….these freedom fighters…I am defending my use of the word Nigga and explaining why I use it, as repulsive as is, it helps to keep me honest and to keep/claim a certain amount of integrity. I will continue to use it….

When I write…I write free
When I write…I write me
When I write…I write from both ends
When I write…I write feeding off passion

And I hope you never stop, because you do it so well.

Dang Mitzi, You sure know how to pen a poem of thoughts.I guess I'll comment on several things indepent of the others. First slavery was an issue of mankind long before Africans were introduced to the south. If you put it in context to others over the years that were enslaved, Africans wouldn't rank 10th in the numbers involved. Though I will say that they were the only ones sold into slavery by their own kind.(Warring Tribes). Far more Christians, were dealt far harsher treatment. Being Irish I know of my forefathers trials and tribulations also. The American Indian has, and still does rank among the highest in atrocities performed against them. Jews are more than likely at the top of the list. More died from segregation with them than all others combined. Having grown up in a racial enviroment I often spoke out for the treatment of blacks. With this I often recieved a decent spanking or turned up noses. Even when I was almost killed on a carnival lot because I was white in a 60's riot, I understood the reason and still held no evil in my heart. Some of those enslaved in the past(meaning from all walks of life) did the wise thing and put they're efforts towards the future and not on reliving the past. They formed community efforts to help each other without Federal intervention. When things went astray they cured their own problems. I see no difference in the spelling of the word mentioned. Either way it still means the same. Like Welfare, gangs, drugs, and the music consumed today only add to the downfall, not the uplifting of any given community. We at times must police ourselves and not worry about the law or how long it takes them to respond. I watched as busing destroyed the city of Cleveland. If conformity of school clothes and student behavior were dealt with without the fears of lawsuits things may have turned out different. Instead of bringing the poorer class up to par with the middle class, all busing did was lower the middle class. Those millions could have been better spent upgrading the poorer classes. Others like yourself must do all they can to achieve what they want in life without history holding them back. You have a skill that others may also need. Share it, and help others. Although we are all considered equal by law, mankind and it's factions will never be equal. If it's not color, it's class. If it's not class, it's shoes ETC. I do all I can to keep my children on the right path. I do my job as a parent,as well as making sure no bad influences come into their life. I noticed you didn't mention Federick Douglas up top. Also missing are Horace Greely, and the 360,000 white americans that died for freedom of those enslaved. John Brown was a true activist in his time. A man who took action to free the enslaved. So I too find the word "nigga" repulsive, and nothing more than a mispronounciation by the illiterate.

Do you dance, do you care, in the center, the heart cries, the body trembles, where do we go clean, sun, same sun burning down, destroys, eats alive, home, top, better, want and need, who will fill, freedom needle gong in, cash coming down, crash, in style, burn the body with the soul, pain lives, man just goes forward, no one ever can go home again, not like this, not like this..Excellent write.. Walt

Mitzi,

I am in awe of your talent. I am in awe of the POWER in your words. Impassioned, bold, raw. REAL. Excellent piece!

(((HUGS))) and love, Karla. :)

Horrific how they used to treat Sammy Davis JR.

Not forgetting, Biko, King. Rev Jackson, Lincons single mindedness.

I pay thousands to make my skin dark, my brother in-law, already has his, from whence he was born.

This reminds me of the book ROOTS.

Adam and Eve were black. As is Performa, the child I sponsor, in Zimbabwe, hope to meet him and his family asap.

Is one thing I love about my country, is we're intergrated. Unlike spain, and most of the low life of europe, france, germany.

I can remember seeing how americans treated different colour people upto 60's 70's and was shocked.

The kkk, were thrown out from here. Likewise the mafia.

When I worked over there in ALABAMA, Huntville, folk thought I was weird, as half the friends I made are black.

Even went to black only dance nights, my white friends were scared, I just laughed, and was made to feel welcome. The rolled about laughing at my accent, as I did theirs.
I feel sorry for racists. They are missing out on making great friends.

I love my African friends laughter, it sets me off.

It's not being proud of who you are, but feeling sorry for the low life with hang ups..

Second to Churchill is the man I've met; Mr Mandela...

maybe eventually we will all be one color but color is not what separates us...its something much deeper than that and for those people, if color is no longer an issue, if long hair is not an issue, if clothes are not an issue, they will take exception to the shape of our nose or something equally ridiculous...some people thrive on bias

I hope the color of our skin will eventually fade from view as all of us share in equal opportunity and can live as brothers and sisters. The longer this racial hatred is allowed to go on it then begins to feed on itself and our country will never be the land of the free. Powerful write.

This is so powerful and passionate, Mitzi, as are all your soul-searching and emotion-packed writes. Perhaps this is YOUR space to vent your own personal feelings, and the last thing you want is for a white, English, middle-aged, middle-class woman to comment on what she has no personal experience of. On the other hand, perhaps a review by Kate Burnside might be OK... are you reading me here? I can understand (I believe - perhaps wrongly) where you may be coming from, but I have absolutely no trouble in seeing everyone (who I know, obviously) as individuals - and almost always it's the black I identify with more than the white, temperamentally speaking; think there must be some black blood in me somewhere!! What I am rambling on about is that people groups have so been absorbed, as I see it, by osmosis into our polyphonic societies that we just "are", irrespective of the colour of our skin. On the other hand, there is a black Californian writer on my course who is constantly aware of her differences with the rest of us, by nature of the colour of her skin. A difficult one for us to chew over, perhaps, but thank you for laying this issue before us and allowing us insight into what must be very difficult issues to wrangle with, given our sad cultural histories. Today's societies are very fractured. The visual is an eye-opener, too: chilling! Bless you and thank you. Kate xx

very powerful and eye opening write, mitzi; be proud of who you are, and never look back!

(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in tx., karen lynn. :(

Most powerful write Mitzi!!

Love Tinka

Mitzi, I see so many sides to this situation. I understand your part, I also understand Cosby's and KIngs and so many others, that represent the blacks! Therein is what I think has brought about your venting. There is nopw disunity within the black population unlike any before. In reality you are becoming like the whites all split up into different factions. Before the blacks were almost all one voice.
Now you have many and it takes a lot of getting used to. I hope for your sake you will do some deep study and thinking of all factions and see where you best belong, then make the decision to own your space. Hope you know where i'm coming from. You are a great spokesperson for your people and should seek a place to be heard.

Love,Eileen

I think Jerry has hit an essential truth. They were not Christians and the truth is that people have sold their brother out for centuries. An example is Joseph's brothers who sold him into slavery. Myself I have a black doctor who is far more competent than his counterparts. I do not see my neighbor as a nigga but as my neighbor. I hope this helps.

I understand where you are coming from, I just do not understand why you think you need to stay there. You gave us an impressive list of fine people at the end of your piece, a damn well-done, PASSIONATE piece. You hold them up to be ideals or just part of the Nigga culture, I suppose. I wonder why I don't see Secretary of State Colin Powell? Or Walter Williams? Or Thomas Sowell? Or Condoleezza Rice? Or . . . You see what I am getting at? I feel that the "Nigga" word is used to promote feelings of oppression and despair when for the great majority of "Nigga's" the exact opposite have evolved throughout the past forty years. The battle cry should not be "Nigga," but something else which takers in consideration that the great hope of Dr. Martin Luther King is now a reality.

Very powerful write like none of seen before.. a comentary on the partial history of a misplaced kingdom. Well done Mitzi

Felix