Chapters (31)
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Room in the Dark I
- Fawns of the Diaspora Court Liliane in Paris, While Tabou Combo Whispers “Coq Qualité” in Her Ears
- Room in the Dark II
- “I Usedta Drink, Smoke and Do the Hoochie-Koo,” or What’s a Girl to Do When Her Mother Looks Like Ruth Brown
- Room in the Dark III
- “El Bochinche” es que only Fe Cortijo Knows or All the LeBron Brothers Know If Victor-Jésus María Sang Lili to Her Freedom
- Room in the Dark IV
- And Where Is Garnett Mimms?
- Room in the Dark V
- I Know Where Kansas City Is, But Did Wilbert Harrison Ever Get There?
- Room in the Dark VI
- Zoom Went the Strings of Liliane’s Heart, But Arsenio Rodriguez Could Have Told Her the Music Sounds Just as Sweet When We’re Blind and Still We See
- Room in the Dark VII
- I Know Where the E Train Stops But I’m “Sendin’ Out an S.O.S.” and I’m Not Edwin Starr Either
- Room in the Dark VIII
- “Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby” or Wouldn’t It Be Great If the Lead Singer of The Crests Wasn’t a White Boy and I Could Be My Mother?
- Room in the Dark IX
- Every Time My Lil World Seems Blue, I Just Haveta Look at You and Learn Eye-Hand Coordination
- Room in the Dark X
- “That’s Why I Love Her So and Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I Want to Know” or Why Jackie Wilson Died in Silence
- Room in the Dark XI
- There’s No Use Cryin’ “Forever” or Hyacinthe Returns from a Very Blue Holiday for Real B(l)ack at Ya
- Room in the Dark XII
- Lollie Struts Her Stuff Thru “The Sea of Love” or the Brides of Frankenstein Catch the Bouquet
- By Ntozake Shange
- Acknowledgments
- Copyright
We were lucky, you see, cause those cracker dogs didn’t stop their cars and come kill us one by one. The front of the house was scorched, the porch all off and such, but nobody was hurt by bullets or fire. That’s because crackers are so stupid, my papa said. After a bit of commotion and a rudimentary visit from the constable, who I thought must be related to Bull Conner, things quieted. Of course, the constable suggested we send everybody home for their own good, you see. But it was S. Bliss who stood her ground.
“I appreciate your concern, officer, but I’m sure our friends aren’t going to allow a small mishap to interfere with the festivities. As you can tell, not only the Negroes in Biloxi know how important the Defense Fund is, and we most certainly will not be allowing white trash in used cars to determine when we go home.”
That’s what she said. I must say, my mouth fell open. I looked for my mama, who could talk sense, but she was right beside S. Bliss, holding her arm actually. Parnell Lincoln and my papa, Mathias Golightly, were right behind them, too.
Lincoln Parnell stepped over to the constable, who looked so red and wet he must have smelled like a beat dog. Anyway, Lincoln Parnell asked the constable if that was all. He turned his flat nasty white behind around, and started to walk out. I could hear him saying: “Some Nigras just don’t know what’s good for em.”
Then I saw my papa with a passel of shotguns. He handed them out to whoever would take one. Not everybody did. Papa and Parnell Lincoln went to take watch out front. But before they went, I could hear them laughing menfolk-laughing, that’s slow and couched in cussing: “Put Ruth Brown back on that machine. To hell with these white folks.”
“I usedta drink, I usedta cuss, I usedta do the hoochie-coochie
I usedta drink, I usedta fight, I usedta do the hoochie-coochie
I usedta fight…I usedta fight,
I usedta fight…”
Yes, Fidel, I thought. We’re dancing and fighting in Biloxi. This is Biloxi’s mambo. I’m going to wish it all the way to Havana. Me and Ruth Brown.
Room in the Dark III
——— Deconstructionists will say it doesn’t matter. The word, per se, no matter where we put it, is lacking…. Deconstructionists’ll sell they mama for a proper signifier or a sign.
———
——— Oh shit. Before I can get to what I really wanta talk about I’ve gotta deal with this “qualifiers” idea. The, what you call, the quality of the sign—the signal…
———
——— The signifier may be related to a gesture I cannot misinterpret, which is why I like this guy….
———
——— I, this man, I mean, Jesus, nobody’d understand.
——— Why not?
——— This guy I been associatin’ with…huh…
——— Yes.