The collection / 11 fragments

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Passages, proverbs, and questions carried across the ages.

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01Undated

i found god in myselfand i loved heri loved her fiercely

Ntozake Shange / quote

02Undated

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 too delicate to have thrown back on my facemy love is too delicate to have thrown back on my face my love is too beautiful to have thrown back on my face my love is too sanctified to have thrown back on my face my love is too magic to have thrown back on my face my love is too saturday nite to have thrown back on my face my love is too complicated to have thrown back on my face my love is too music to have thrown back on my face

Ntozake Shange / quote

03Undated

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 a mornin paperdidn’t nobody stop usin my tears to wash carscuz a sorry.

Ntozake Shange / quote

04Undated

i done forgot all abt wordsaint got no definitions

Ntozake Shange / quote

05Undated

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 / quote

06Undated

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/ big thighs/ lil tits/ &so much love/ will you take it from me this one time/ please this is for you

Ntozake Shange / quote

07Undated

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 / quote

08Undated

i found god in myself& i loved her/ i loved her fiercely

Ntozake Shange / quote

09Undated

The slaves who were ourselves had known terror intimately, confused sunrise with pain, & accepted indifference as kindness.

Ntozake Shange / quote

10Undated

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 / quote

11Undated

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 get ready to write, I think I'm trying to fill that.

Ntozake Shange / quote