SAPPHIRE
I use metered text in
this excerpt from my novel The Harlem
Triology as a way of “rooting” these women in the rhythms of their bodies.
The rhythm of the chant allows the reader to bond with the characters as the
women seek to control and align their lives with female values in a patriarchal
society. Menstruation rituals speak to a Regular, Rhythmic, and Repeated event
that will shape approximately forty years of a woman’s life.
Menstruation Chant
I bleed and do not die
I bleed and do not die
I am a woman
I ride the sky and do not die
I ride the sky and do not die
I am a woman
Je saigne et je ne meurs pas
Je saigne et je ne meurs pas
Je suis une femme
Je roule dans le ciel et je ne meurs pas
Je roule dans le ciel et je ne meurs pas
Je suis une femme.
Mwen senyen epi mwen pa mouri
Mwen senyen epi yo pa mouri
Mwen se yon fanm
Mwen kondi syel la epi mwen pa mouri
Mwen kondi syel la epi mwen pa mouri
Mwen se yon fanm.
Sapphire became involved in the Slam Poetry
movement writing, performing, and eventually publishing her work. She is the
author of two collections of poetry Black Wings & Blind Angels
(1999) and American Dreams (1994), and of the New York Times bestselling
novels The Kid (2011) and Push (1996), which was the inspiration
for the Academy Award-winning movie Precious.
Now
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