Little Girl Black

Book excerpt: This book and all my Little Girl Black poetry books volumes 1–6 celebrate and confront dreams, religion, marriage, unfairness, sex, friendship, racism, colorism, abuse, strength, judgments, fantasies, love, education, families, power, death, the black sheep syndrome, and many other situations. An education is something you must have. Without a doubt, you will need an education someday. Without an education, who will count your coins, or how would you know how much paper was in your bag before you let your smart-ass accounting count it for you? His or her pockets may just be dripping with your cash. You know, he or she will be twerking and crip-walking all the way to the bank. You better learn quick how to count your moolah. Sticky fingers always come with skills. Without an education, how will you learn about your history? Who will teach you about all the wars that were won and lost if you can’t read? You will have to depend on what someone is telling you. If you can read, you can do your own research of your past, present, and future. If you don’t get an education, someone else will write your story and tell all kinds of tall tales. If you didn’t go to school and learn to write your story yourself, who can tell your life story better than you? An education is a must. You will find out the hard way. Just because they’re your friends in your face doesn’t mean they will be the same friends behind your back. Your story is being written and told by a hater. Navigate your own legacy by learning to read. Who will speak for you if you don’t speak for yourself? No one knows how or why your pain multiplies, why your happiness is so big it floats up to the sky, or how bright your future will get if you keep your head in your books and your nose clean. Dyslexic. I know some of us need a little help or maybe just a little extra time because of how our brain operates or is wired. If I can so graciously attempt to describe a dyslexic mind, I will try, with some old dance crazes from the fifties and sixties as metaphors. Well, here goes. A so-called normal mind or brain does the dance we call the twist, slowly twisting or wiggling your hips and still keeping up with the beat as you let your backbone slip, or a simple, slow drag or stepping—a dance where you’re in total control. Your smooth moves engage every part of your body as you slowly synchronize across the room and floor, holding your partner close. And my brain, a dyslexic brain, is very busy and does an old dance called the funky chicken and the funky, funky Broadway, moving the head, feet, and all limbs at the same time at a faster tempo, but dramatic. Just a step behind, but your imagination is all the way up on cloud nine. That’s how I describe a dyslexic mind. But being dyslexic does not make a normal brain better and surely does not make a dyslexic brain lesser than. It just makes our brains different, simple as that. Cassandra Hudson December 10, 2019