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Fat Black Woman Poems
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!
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."]
Posted by C.D. Valere
What a find! These poems are very good! I do like them a lot. 