00:01:27.750 - 00:01:38.610

Morton Marcus: Good evening everybody this is Mort Marcus and this is the Poetry Show. And tonight, our guest is Ekua Omosupe, who is a local poet and fellow colleague at Cabrillo. And she will be reading her poetry and talking about her

00:01:38.610 - 00:02:18.480

poetry as actually the first guest here on the Poetry Show for Black History Month. So stay tuned, we'll listen to a little more Mingus and we'll be back in around ten seconds. And good evening, this is Mort Marcus, and I would like to

00:02:18.480 - 00:02:24.540

introduce you to Ekua Omosupe as our guest. Ekua, welcome to the Poetry Show. Ekua Omosupe: Thank you. Morton Marcus: And I think you're going to have to sit

00:02:24.540 - 00:02:42.480

closer to that microphone, Ekua. Great. Ekua, where are you from, actually? Ekua Omosupe: I'm born in Mississippi, I was raised all over the South. And I come to Santa Cruz, California from

00:02:42.480 - 00:02:57.720

Colorado Springs, Colorado, because my stepfather was an army man and that was the last duty station that my family moved to. So I went to school there and came to UC Santa Cruz as a graduate student in 1985.

00:02:58.530 - 00:03:05.340

Morton Marcus: And you actually not only stayed here, but you've been teaching at UC before you came to Cabrillo. Ekua Omosupe: That's right, I did my graduate study and teaching there.

00:03:05.000 - 00:03:13.670

Ekua Omosupe: I think that traveling around has something Morton Marcus: Okay. You know, if that's uncomfortable, you can sort of pull that microphone down. That's it. And even ben it, you know, just- there ou go. Ekua, what is amazin

00:03:10.190 - 00:03:34.910

to do with it. I also remember that when I was a child, about about hearing you, and I've istened to you in meetings and t ings like that is, there is no discernible accent from comin five years old when my family was stationed to Germany. I went

00:03:22.760 - 00:03:39.320

anywhere. It is just a perfe t bell clear voice, and do you t ink that happened because you w re traveling around all the t me? from Mississippi to Germany. And when I came home, my family

00:03:39.590 - 00:04:06.650

recognized the difference in my speech. And my aunt said to me when I was about eight years old, and then again when I was about sixteen, she said "You talk really good, you talk very clear, it's really important that you continue to cultivate

00:04:06.890 - 00:04:14.170

that," and it stuck. Morton Marcus: And it's very metaphorical too for a poet to speak with great clarity, because- not only physically speaking, but literally speaking. And with that

00:04:14.470 - 00:05:42.730

wonderful segue, how and why did you start writing poetry? Ekua Omosupe: Well, I started writing poetry when I was a child. I remember that in my church, the Church of God in Christ, where I had my earliest religious training, was a place

00:05:42.730 - 00:06:04.570

where young people were encouraged to cultivate their talents. And I remember my first poem that I wrote for public consumption, I was about ten years old or so. And the minister said, "Would you like to read a poem today? Does

00:06:02.940 - 00:06:14.950

Morton Marcus: Marvelous, I'm going to ask you to read almost anybody have a poem or song that they would like to sing?" And I directly now. But we were talking about something before, said, "I do." So I went up to the front and I read this poem

00:06:09.450 - 00:06:24.840

which I would like you to address. I asked you if you would like the Appalachian black poet or African-American poet, that I had written about war. And the minister was very and I have always felt uncomfortable labeling a person

00:06:21.370 - 00:06:33.720

congratulatory, and invited me to go to two or more churches to by their ethnic or racial or even religious background, share this poem, so that's where I got my start. And in the because I think it really is very limiting and I think it's

00:06:30.910 - 00:06:47.560

beginning, I wrote poems about Jesus and love and salvation. almost insulting. How do you feel about that? And as I grew older, and became more conscious and more aware in the world, my poetry started changing. And I found that

00:06:47.560 - 00:07:10.960

writing poetry is a wonderful way to be heard, to express things that I might not be able to have a listener for in a regular conversation. And I've also found that poetry is an economic way of doing art because I can write poems on

00:07:10.960 - 00:07:30.190

scraps of paper and later transcribe them into a full page. And as a person who does not have the luxury or the finances to spend hours in contemplation, and be able to write long novels or whatever, poetry serves me quite well.

00:08:07.210 - 00:08:24.970

Ekua Omosupe: I like to be referred to as a poet. I am a poet. And although I write poetry, sometimes specifically from my experience as an African-American person in the world, I don't think it's necessary for me to be

00:08:24.970 - 00:08:47.620

introduced as a black poet; no one gets introduced as a white poet. So, you know, and I feel like it's being juxtaposed or in opposition to something which makes me an other. And I'm a poet, as Audrey Lord has a poem titled something to the effect

00:08:47.620 - 00:09:03.950

that from the poet who happens to be black, who happens to be a black woman, and I'm a poet who just happens to be a woman and who just happens to be African-American. Morton Marcus: I think that's a great way to kick off this black

00:09:03.950 - 00:09:19.670

history month for this particular show, and I know that Joe, my co-host feels the same way. Ekua, I'm sure that you have stimulated everyone's interest out there. Why don't you read us a poem or two that will introduce you as a poet.

00:09:20.590 - 00:09:47.650

Ekua Omosupe: Alright, it's my pleasure. Before I read, I want to say that I dedicate this poetry reading to Lucille Clifton, who has been one of my mentors, to Audrey Lord and to Pat Parker, and I will read a couple of poems to them. The

00:09:47.650 - 00:10:04.790

first poem I'm going to read is: TO LUCILLE CLIFTON Lucille, light hangs from the corners of your mouth, mixing with the darkness, profound and revealing. Where you live, trees

00:10:04.850 - 00:10:29.340

and rocks talk, you prophesy. I learned from you, Lucille, light, that words are tongues, bones, blood, women, spelled in your brilliance, spirit woman, word witch. Morton Marcus: In case people do not know, Lucille Clifton has

00:10:29.340 - 00:10:41.850

been recommended in the past for a Pulitzer Prize. But more than that, we were lucky enough to have her in this community for several years, and I take it she was one of your teachers up at UCSC.

00:10:41.900 - 00:10:54.380

Ekua Omosupe: Yes, she was one of my teachers at UCSC. And when I taught Creative Writing/Poetry, she was my supervisor. And we were also friends, we are friends. Morton Marcus: Marvelous, marvelous.

00:10:54.380 - 00:11:03.460

Ekua Omosupe: She's wonderful. Morton Marcus: She's been on this show a number of times and just joyous every time she was on. You're continuing our tradition, Ekua.

00:11:03.820 - 00:11:19.120

Ekua Omosupe: Thank you. And this next poem is titled, "Ekua," which is my name. EKUA Born on Wednesday, twelve noon, on a plantation in Mississippi,

00:11:19.750 - 00:11:48.640

forty-two years ago, to a fifteen year old girl who bore down on a birthing bed, to bear a baby, to raise a child, and nurse a woman into loving herself. I'm trying to start a tradition of writing a poem to myself on

00:11:48.640 - 00:12:14.230

my birthday, which is a little difficult. I have written poems on my birthday, but they have not necessarily been poems that I thought would celebrate me. But this is one that I wrote on my 40th birthday. To turn forty was exciting for me. I felt at

00:12:14.230 - 00:12:37.210

last I was walking into that place of richness, of knowing, of spirituality that I had not known before, coming to a power that was just waiting for me as I was growing and learning. So I wrote this poem, it's titled, "On My 40th Birthday."

00:12:39.580 - 00:13:08.990

ON MY 40TH BIRTHDAY I entered the womb of poetry. She made me daughter, child, sister to stars, moon, tree, frog. My sense is keen to love, life, to dirt, ocean, hate, death. I know my immortality

00:13:09.230 - 00:13:38.300

like prickly heat, dry desert, round Earth, black night. It is written in letters, photographs, children, poems, and lovers of my life. This is a fresh womanhood born of feelings, intellect, genius, spirit, reason. I move fluid through the

00:13:38.300 - 00:13:57.550

days and no, I am writing myself poem, woman, warrior, lesbian. Morton Marcus: That's interesting because you even address poetry there, as I'm hearing it, personifying it as a female figure.

00:13:57.550 - 00:14:07.950

Ekua Omosupe: Mhm. Morton Marcus: And that's an interesting- Oh, I don't know if it's a turnaround. I know that, you know, males have always used the muse as a female figure.

00:14:08.370 - 00:14:22.190

Ekua Omosupe: Mhm. Morton Marcus: But poetry itself, I haven't heard that. Anyway, that's very nice. It's great that someone can celebrate themselves. I did feel Dylan Thomas turning in his grave when

00:14:22.190 - 00:14:43.980

you said that you were going to start this tradition. He just didn't quite know where he was anymore. Ekua Omosupe: I have a poem here that my daughter asked me to read. And it's one of her favorite poems, let's see if I

00:14:43.980 - 00:15:05.610

can locate it. The poem is titled, "Poetry." And my youngest daughter is fourteen years old. I have two adult children and two grandchildren. My oldest daughter just gave birth to her second child in January, so I have a

00:15:05.610 - 00:15:18.720

granddaughter and have a grandson. But Whitney is my youngest and Whitney likes this poem, so I told her that I would read this poem for her tonight. POETRY

00:15:18.000 - 00:15:45.270

Poetry is anthropology, religion, my mama's red dress, watermelon, pinto beans, cornbread, okra, fried chicken, little children, bear legs, bunioned toes, my nappy short hair, rusty nails, torn pages, discarded telegrams, a hug, some

00:15:45.270 - 00:16:10.140

kisses, short skirts, tight jeans, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Connecticut, black boys in Alabama, cold grits, a stack of pancakes, geography, stretch marks, a science test, twenty-two people in a class, a pulled tooth, rain in my car, a

00:16:10.140 - 00:16:26.880

missed supper, new peas, old clothes, my faded blue sweater, and the list on this page. This is poetry. Morton Marcus: Perfect one to follow the last one. Ekua Omosupe: Yeah.

00:16:28.610 - 00:16:39.530

Morton Marcus: But all those things also, that list that really- the poetry, therefore, is really your particular experience. Would that be one of the things that you'd be saying there?

00:16:39.740 - 00:16:58.580

Ekua Omosupe: I'd say one of the things about my poetry is, yes, it is my particular experience. And probably for most poets, a lot of their poetry is their particular experience. And also, I write the experience of other people. And of course, it is

00:16:58.580 - 00:17:15.860

subjective to some degree, because I'm writing it and I'm interpreting what it is I see. Unless I'm quoting directly, sometimes I find poems. And I have one like that that I'm going to read later on. For instance, I have a poem here

00:17:15.860 - 00:17:35.100

titled, "A Soldier," which- well, I'll read it and then you can tell me this is subjective or- A SOLDIER My stepfather is army, green, black, poor. His legacy of

00:17:35.100 - 00:18:03.270

deferred dreams, drunkenness is written across a military landscape: Vietnam, Korea, Germany, Mississippi. Morton Marcus: Now, I'm not going to- I'm not going to get into it. Because of course, it is subjective in the fact that

00:18:03.270 - 00:18:12.390

this is your description of him, but it still is incidents that are subjective to his life. Ekua Omosupe: Right. Morton Marcus: You know. And what I meant with the other poem

00:18:12.390 - 00:18:25.090

was that the list just seems as though it'd be a peculiarly Omasupe list of what would compose poetry. Ekua Omosupe: Mhm. Omosupe. Morton Marcus: It's very much alive. Yeah. Omosupe.

00:18:25.000 - 00:18:50.560

Ekua Omosupe: Mhm, yeah. Yeah, I've probably read poems about all those things too, you know? I feel that everything is a poem, that it's just waiting or sometimes screaming for me, or whoever, to just write it down. And I think the wonderful thing

00:18:50.560 - 00:19:05.610

about being in the classroom is that I find poems all the time. Things that come out of people's mouths, sometimes it's just pure poetry, it's just beautiful. And so I grabbed some and run off. Morton Marcus: Okay, we haven't in a long time talked about

00:19:05.640 - 00:19:23.130

found poetry in here. Would you like to define it or- for our listeners? Ekua Omosupe: Well, I think that, in my experience, a found poem has been the way words strike me that make sense,

00:19:23.130 - 00:19:45.420

create an image, or concept, and I take that and I run with it. And oftentimes wonderful things come out of it. Every time I found a poem I felt that it was wonderful. So that's what I mean when poems are everywhere, that I catch that moment of

00:19:45.420 - 00:20:01.410

brilliance and pull it onto myself, and then write it down. Morton Marcus: Okay, but what I couldn't understand, my question is, do you change anything in it or do you add to it yourself? Or is it just what is found, let's say whether it's someone says

00:20:01.410 - 00:20:11.420

something or something gets written down in a certain way by other people? Ekua Omosupe: Often it's just what is has been said that becomes the found poem.

00:20:11.420 - 00:20:22.040

Morton Marcus: Right. Ekua Omosupe: And I will say, "Oh, that was a poem. Do you care if I use it?" And people look at me kind of strange, you know, but then they might hear that poem someplace or read it

00:20:22.040 - 00:20:43.200

someplace and they go, "Wow, she really was serious." Morton Marcus: So, let's hear some of them, it's great. Ekua Omosupe: Okay, I don't have any found poems with me. Okay, these are- but I want to have this poem here. I have a couple

00:20:43.200 - 00:21:00.600

of poems here, I'm going to read a series here. This one is taken from, or inspired by the movie "Mississippi Burning," and it's very short. MISSISSIPPI BURNING

00:21:01.350 - 00:21:36.090

Or the FBI are not the good guys, damn it. In the blood of Mississippi, there are bloated black bodies, white lies, burning crosses, crucifixions, no Christ. I wrote this poem during the Gulf War- Gulf War.

00:21:38.670 - 00:21:59.440

THE CAMPAIGN The storm lasted forty-three days, this rain of bombs is not natural. There is no rainbow sign, no dove to promise peace. WAR

00:22:01.000 - 00:22:32.290

Severed breasts, fence poles shoved into pussies, stomachs dug out by bullets, legless children dragging stumps, spilled guts and shit. Dead babies rotting in the sun, stench, heat, death, maggots, silence, silence, silence,

00:22:33.550 - 00:23:01.750

silence. My brother's face wasn't on the screen, six o'clock news. But he is one of our brave young men fighting for our country, running from crack, running from death at an early age, running to save his life, dying to live on dry desert

00:23:01.750 - 00:23:33.640

sands that sift his life away in minutes. Kuwait, your sand bleeds bodies. My brother's lay cold underneath hot sun. Morton Marcus: Okay, we are talking to Ekua Omosupe, a local poet, and before we take our normal break and give you a

00:23:33.640 - 00:23:59.650

breather, you're going to be appearing in several places, certainly one, why don't you tell us a little bit about that? Ekua Omosupe: Okay, on February 17th, I'll be at UCSC with a number of other poets and a women's drumming circle, and

00:23:59.650 - 00:24:22.990

this will be at seven o'clock at the Kresge Town Hall. And on February 20th, I have the honor also of being a part of singing with Sister Monica, which is going to be at the Santa Cruz Civic Center, which is a big celebration and affair, also

00:24:22.990 - 00:24:38.230

with singers, poets, storytellers, and just a big party. Morton Marcus: Will there be other poets there because I thought you were the only one that I saw on the advertisement?

00:24:38.260 - 00:24:54.790

Ekua Omosupe: I'm the only poet that is on the advertising. I'm the only poet who's reading her poems, and then Lambert Van Buren will be storytelling. So I feel very excited and honored to to do that.

00:24:54.840 - 00:25:07.320

Morton Marcus: That should be a wonderful event, the both of them should be, actually. The one on the 20th though, Sister Monica actually lives in town. And this will sort of introduce her to all those people who don't know the wonderful gospel

00:25:07.320 - 00:25:23.150

singing that she's done. Ekua Omosupe: And one other thing is happening too that I'm a part of. My partner, Maria Davila and I, co-founders, in fact, we founded Makua Productions, and we create

00:25:23.150 - 00:25:43.790

wonderful jewelry from beads all over the country. And we're sponsoring a women of color art and craft celebration at the Louden Nelson Center, February 12th from 10 to 5. We're expecting up to twenty vendors, and there will be food and good

00:25:43.790 - 00:25:53.470

company and music. So I hope that people will come out to support us. Morton Marcus: And when is this going to be? Ekua Omosupe: This will be February 12th from 10 to 5.

00:25:53.770 - 00:26:02.860

Morton Marcus: That's this Saturday? Ekua Omosupe: Yes, this Saturday at the Louden Nelson Center. Morton Marcus: Okay, great. 12 to 5. Ekua Omosupe: 10 to 5.

00:26:04.150 - 00:26:21.310

Morton Marcus: And in fact, all you people there, you can go from 10 to 5 to Louden Nelson Center and then go right over to Civic Auditorium, where it is "Hearts for the Arts" night from 4 o'clock on and do wonderful stuff. But the 12th, I mean,

00:26:21.310 - 00:26:32.820

that's two days before Valentine's Day and I take it that many of the things that will be sold they will be suitable Valentine's gift. Ekua Omosupe: Absolutely, come and buy and give your Valentine

00:26:32.820 - 00:26:47.220

art. Morton Marcus: Okay, there you go. Marvelous. We will be back in a minute or two. And we are talking again to Ekua Omosupe. I am sure I am missing that name completely with my New York

00:26:47.220 - 00:27:30.210

pronunciation but we are talking to her, and she'll be reading more poetry, so stay tuned! Ekua Omosupe: [Inaudible] says that things might be changing, and I say that tentatively, because I mean, after all, he is

00:27:30.810 - 00:27:51.360

a man who is way past middle age. We don't know if he has been suffering from feeling remorseful or anything, you know, through all of these years. We do know that Myrlie Evers, the wife of Medgar Evers, and her children have suffered

00:27:51.360 - 00:28:10.800

tremendous hardship and pain all of these years. And so there is relief, however, I don't feel that that's enough and that that's good enough, that we have to pay attention and we have to allow justice to be justice for all, not just a select few. So,

00:28:11.190 - 00:28:26.670

I'm not ready to go jump in the streets and fly banners; I am ready to say that's a move and hopefully it is a move forward, that it will set a pattern and a precedence. So, that's how I feel about it.

00:28:27.590 - 00:28:45.530

Morton Marcus: Good. We are listening Ekua's poetry and we want to hear what she has to say about a lot of things. In fact, anything that you would like to talk about that I've not asked you questions about, you know, it's open season on the Poetry

00:28:45.530 - 00:29:02.520

Show. So please do read some more, and introduce it in your own way. I know that you're going to read something for Audrey Lord and Pat Parker, so I'd love to hear some of that. Ekua Omosupe: Okay, I am. Before I read the poems that I have for

00:29:02.520 - 00:29:11.520

Audrey Lord and Pat Parker, I would like to read a poem that responds to what we've just finished talking about. Morton Marcus: Great. Ekua Omosupe: And it's titled:

00:29:11.550 - 00:29:32.240

GOD KNOWS, I'M TIRED OF MARCHING Freedom is expensive and we black people know that it cannot be bought with kind words, good deeds, obedience, and social codes of good conduct, nor with statutes and law books,

00:29:32.810 - 00:29:56.570

codified, reified, subtracted and added to read like holy script. We have turned the other cheek, wandered in the desert, kicked against the pricks, been mute. How many times over has the debt been paid by black bodies, beaten, mutilated,

00:29:57.050 - 00:30:26.120

raped, killed, dead? Sojourner Truth, Fannie Lou Hamer, Pat Parker, Nat Turner, Medgar Evers, Emmett Till, Tawana Brawley, Rosa Parks, Rosie Langley, Faye Matthews, Grant Whitney, John Christmas, George Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr.,

00:30:26.570 - 00:30:53.510

Malcolm X., Bobby Seale, Rodney King, and unknown millions? Emancipation Proclamation did not cancel slavery. Law does not chastise police brutality. Freedom is on the horizon as is lynching, the judges' robes are white, crosses burn.

00:30:56.540 - 00:31:19.580

Morton Marcus: Were you going read that anyway before I said that? It seems like you had that poem all ready. We must be on a telepathic wavelength there. Okay, I really- am sort of sitting here. What about these poets who have influenced you?

00:31:20.360 - 00:31:33.260

You've mentioned Pat Parker and you mentioned Lucille; could you mention in what ways or what different ways these poets have influenced you, and the way other poets have influenced you maybe?

00:31:35.370 - 00:31:57.450

Ekua Omosupe: Poetry- all the poets I've mentioned, and poets that I haven't mentioned, have been models and given me permission to speak that every topic can be talked about, I can write a poem about it. They've given me permission to play with

00:31:57.450 - 00:32:20.010

language and words. Some of the earliest influences that I had from poets were Emily Dickinson, I learned from Emily Dickinson how to be curt and to the point. I love her work. I learned from Lucille Clifton that a small poem can speak volumes. I

00:32:20.010 - 00:32:45.450

learned from Audrey Lord and Pat Parker that who I am as an African-American woman, as a lesbian, can be celebrated; that it is marvelous to claim one's identity. I learned from every poet that I ever read, I learned something. I get a clue, a

00:32:45.450 - 00:33:11.880

model, something that I can do. And so I pattern my poems after great poets that I read, you know, if Emily Dickinson can talk about Christ in a poem, I can talk about Christ in a poem too. And I don't have to talk about Christ in a religious or

00:33:11.880 - 00:33:25.370

sanctimonious way. I get permission from her to be able to do it differently, how I feel it. And like, I like your poetry. I think you're a fine poet. Morton Marcus: Oh, wow, thank you. I didn't even know that you

00:33:25.370 - 00:33:43.250

had read my poetry. You know, you bring something which to me brings sort of tears to my eyes, which is this great tradition that I always feel we all belong to as brothers and sisters, which is the tradition of the poem. And yes, we do get

00:33:43.250 - 00:33:59.540

permission and we do continue, you know- sorry, we do get permission to go forward from all of those voices that have talked before. And we're talking for everybody, of course. But you bring up another problem, which I have had, and I'd love

00:33:59.540 - 00:34:15.050

to hear you just talk about it any way you want to, which is a lot of my students that I've taught creative writing, who want to write, but don't and have not read poetry. And it is to me a- I mean, I can't even imagine it. Like, I don't even

00:34:15.050 - 00:34:28.010

have to ask you this question. When you were young, you started to write poetry, it was just as natural as breathing that you started to read everything you get your hands on. Ekua Omosupe: That's right, I did. And one favorite, or maybe

00:34:28.010 - 00:34:55.220

it's two favorite books from the Bible that I think are poetry is: I used to read the Psalms and I used to read the Song of Solomon, just powerful. And I used to- anybody I heard of, I would read them. I don't understand- okay, I think the

00:34:55.220 - 00:35:16.670

problem is that some people, a lot of people, a lot of students that we need right now, younger students who are just coming out of high school and whatnot, have been turned off to reading that the world seems to happen in a vacuum for them. All that

00:35:16.670 - 00:35:41.900

matters is what they're doing and what they're seeing. And what I try to do is to show my students that everything is a process, that you have to read in order to have vocabulary, in order to increase points of reference. And if we can do

00:35:41.900 - 00:36:04.250

this, the best thing that does for us is to expand our minds, and we will never be the same again. And so I ask that they pay attention to process, that every time we do a piece of writing, I respond, I give it back, I ask them questions, make

00:36:04.250 - 00:36:23.720

comments to just push them and say, oh, have you read so and so and so? Make suggestions in that manner. But we do live at a time when the television is very, very important to our young people. A lot of our young people have had to be

00:36:23.720 - 00:36:41.840

entertained by television while their parents worked or were away from home. And so I understand that, but I don't think that we have to continue to be limited by being fed what to think and how to see, which is what happens for the most

00:36:41.840 - 00:36:56.120

part. And even in our traditional education systems, we're not encouraged to interrogate, to ask questions, to do some thinking on our own. We're encouraged to listen to the authority who's up there in front of you and don't argue,

00:36:56.270 - 00:37:14.540

don't offer any suggestion or any different way of thinking, just do it like this. And so we've been really socialized, and the television helps to keep us in that place. So all I can do is just say, is just to encourage people to read, read

00:37:14.600 - 00:37:33.590

what you're interested in, look for a model because we need models. Morton Marcus: Absolutely. Why don't you read some more poetry? Ekua Omosupe: Okay. First, I'm going to read a poem titled,

00:37:33.650 - 00:37:50.060

"Tribute to Pat Parker." I am the 1993 recipient of the Pat Parker Poetry Prize. Thank you. And I would like to read: TRIBUTE TO PAT PARKER, and then a poem that I wrote in response to a Pat Parker poem.

00:37:52.070 - 00:38:17.930

Pat Parker, poet, woman, warrior. You were born fighting. Your life a weapon which you thrust again and again against those who sought to destroy you because you were black, female, poor. You marched barefoot in the tracks of your ancestors and

00:38:17.930 - 00:38:39.500

kinfolk, who gave you the strength and the anointing to declare your right to be here. In their names, and in the names of those who would come after you, you fought. Your life testifies to the victories that belong to us who are born in

00:38:39.500 - 00:39:02.480

your likeness, black, woman, lesbian. It is a beacon for us who travel in the night, hear the war cry and storm into battles that were not of our making, but are now our charge. We must fight them for the sake of our survival. You fought a

00:39:02.480 - 00:39:26.690

good fight on the front lines. There is no coward in you. You stand a dyke at the crossroads of present and future, shield and spear in hands, encouraging us forward. Morton Marcus: Where did you receive that award? Where did

00:39:26.690 - 00:39:42.690

you receive the award? Did you read that at the award? Was there a formal ceremony? Ekua Omosupe: There was a formal ceremony and there was an announcement in a paper, Pat Parker Poetry Prize: submit some

00:39:42.690 - 00:39:52.800

poems. And so I did, and out o the submissions, I won th prize Morton Marcus: And did you- what I'm getting at, did you read this at the formal-

00:39:52.800 - 00:39:57.870

Ekua Omosupe: Mhm. Morton Marcus: Beautiful. Great. Ekua Omosupe: Thank you. I read it, yes, at the award ceremony. Morton Marcus: Great.

00:39:58.650 - 00:40:13.800

Ekua Omosupe: And through that, I have an invitation to submit a full manuscript for publication. Morton Marcus: Great. Yeah, I realized because I did not receive any- I did not give a brief biography, a literary

00:40:13.920 - 00:40:26.550

biography of you, so we just started right into talking. So, anything you want to say about yourself, you know, just feel free. Ekua Omosupe: Okay, I will. Thank you very much. I'm going

00:40:26.550 - 00:40:38.700

to read another Pat Parker poem. Great. Okay, after reading Pat Parker's poem, "To White People Who Want To Be My Friend," that's the title of Pat Parker's poem. The

00:40:38.700 - 00:40:59.330

title of my poem is: COLORBLIND There are people who declare they are colorblind. They don't see color, they don't see color. They see me, a black woman,

00:40:59.660 - 00:41:27.020

dreadlocked, thick-lipped, a ring in her nose, but no color. No color. Of course, they see that my eyes are brown, my hair is black and white, my skin is burnt chestnut, rubbed red, and looks like the sun has set in it. But they are colorblind. Why

00:41:27.020 - 00:41:49.100

do you, colorblind, want to deny me my identity? Is it the kink of my hair? Do you think that if you notice it is uncombed, not straight, that I will be embarrassed? Is it the thickness of my red lips that catches you off guard, makes you stutter,

00:41:49.220 - 00:42:13.310

because they are so like the ones you have seen in "Africa Adorned?" Why are you colorblind? Do you think I will be embarrassed if you notice that I am not white, not permed, not a replica of Donna Reed, that I am not like you? Do you

00:42:13.310 - 00:42:40.610

think I will be embarrassed or is it your embarrassment you fear? When you see me, notice, I am black. Second, I am black. Third, I will stay black. Morton Marcus: Very good.

00:42:41.930 - 00:42:53.890

Ekua Omosupe: Thank you. So here's an example of a found poem. Morton Marcus: Great. Again, for the people out there, a found poem is something that you find- can find in a book, in an

00:42:53.890 - 00:43:10.730

advertisement, encyclopedia or that someone has said or written down, and you just suddenly take it out of its context and you say, "Look what this is!" and t suddenly takes on a life o Ekua Omosupe: All right. This is a poem that's titled, "Shikuma:

00:43:05.140 - 00:43:26.270

its All Kin." And the way I found t is poem is in a conversation w th a friend of mine, Lois S ikuma. We were driving and we w re talking about our h stories. And I was so struck t

00:43:26.390 - 00:43:48.620

at Lois knew up to five or e ght generations of her people a d I couldn't name anybody excep for my great-grandmother. So thought that was wonderful, a d so I wrote this poem in honor f Lois for helping me to find t and to give a little bit

00:43:48.620 - 00:44:09.210

f history about mysel SHIKUMA: ALL KIN Your surname has generations in front of it. You know your great-grandmother's father, how many siblings he had. He, the

00:44:09.210 - 00:44:38.070

oldest of five, who wore his brotherly face. Shikuma, from Watsonville to Hawaii, that name is written with a legacy. What a legacy, a living name. I was born in Mississippi, black, a sharecropper's step-granddaughter, a teenage

00:44:38.070 - 00:45:04.800

girl's first in a list of nine. I know my great-grandmother, Mary; her daughter, Lovey Lee; and Rose, my mother. I look for my kin, there is no name to guide me. Like a collector I buy the photographs of strangers, black, African, stately,

00:45:05.190 - 00:45:26.430

captured in sepia tones to hang on my wall, signal my beginnings. There's a story behind that. When I first came to Santa Cruz in 1985 and I discovered the flea market, and I found two

00:45:26.970 - 00:45:52.410

beautifully framed photographs of- probably from the turn of the century: one is the photograph of a stately looking African-American man, whom I think I resemble; and the other was a family portrait, what appears to be a husband, a wife,

00:45:52.740 - 00:46:10.680

and a small child. And I was thrilled, I said, "Oh my goodness, these look like my people!" So I took them home. And for all I know, they might be my people because there's no way to identify them. So I decided to include that little

00:46:10.680 - 00:46:30.520

bit of history in this poem that I found while talking to Lois Shikuma. Morton Marcus: We are drawing to a close on this Poetry Show and why don't you read one more poem, and I will remind the

00:46:30.520 - 00:46:52.630

people out there that our guest is Ekua Omosupe. On February 17th, she and several poets and the woman's drumming group will be at 7pm at Kresge Town Hall. Then on February 20th, she will be singing- she will be with the Sister Monica Extravaganza which

00:46:52.630 - 00:47:15.400

will be at the Civic Auditorium, she will be reading her poetry there. And from February 12th, this coming Saturday from 10 to 5, she will be the producer of artisans and craftsmen who will be selling their wares. And from 4 on that night, Hearts for the

00:47:15.400 - 00:47:34.540

Arts will be taking place at the Civic Auditorium. So come on down to Santa Cruz and enjoy us of this Saturday. And now for final words from our guests and you can also have some final words, Ekua, and final poetry as well. Ekua Omosupe.

00:47:34.840 - 00:47:50.920

Ekua Omosupe: Thank you. I'm very pleasured to be on the Poetry Show tonight to get to speak out there to people whose faces I can't see but whose energy I can certainly feel. So I thank you very much for inviting me.

00:47:51.280 - 00:47:58.000

Morton Marcus: This won't be the first time- last time. Ekua Omosupe: Thank you. Morton Marcus: Okay. Ekua Omosupe: Right. I would like to read this last poem

00:47:58.090 - 00:48:15.240

titled: AFRICA IN YOUR FACE Look at me. Do you see Africa embrewed in my flesh, mapped in the ridges and contours of my body? Persistent strength and

00:48:15.240 - 00:48:39.480

courage course through my veins. I am a testament to her power, lifeforce, despite the efforts of white colonizers who tried to cut her tongue, steal her strength, destroy her root, starve her children, kill us all with pestilence, disease. I am

00:48:39.480 - 00:49:05.520

blood, body, bone of ancestors who traveled in overcrowded ships, chained to death, suffocating in feces, raped and seasick. Look at me, see the resemblance I bear to kings, queens, poets, astronomers, mathematicians, mothers,

00:49:05.850 - 00:49:31.980

children who lay in the bellies of cargo ships. Listen closely, the echoes of brutish voices tell me that I am nothing more than object, instrument, mule, a beast of burden. But beasts cannot talk, plan insurrections, birth generations of black

00:49:31.980 - 00:49:55.890

African children who look like me. I am Africa, a piece of the continent displaced, a foreigner to my own people. African in America, a black landscape, a colonized person, Africa, a survivor living in me.