Welcome to the Colored Section.
There are no walls here.
No walls and no need for windows and we see everything.

And there are no ancient 'For Coloreds Only' signs. No mildewed water fountains, no tattered second-hand textbooks. Our library boasts over three million hardbacked leather-spined books, all with gold leaf pressings. Mostly classics. We like to read them and then rewrite them to make them better than they were. Especially Shakespeare; he's our favorite.

We are all here.

Aunt Jemima spends most of her time with her brow wrinkled in concentration, looming over a dotted chessboard in the corner opposite Sambo, who insists on being addressed by his full name, Samuel Beauman III. "Don't you know how much history there is in that name?" he always barks. "It's too important to leave out. Besides, Sambo's a little boy. I've grown, don't call me that anymore."

He isn't always so grumpy. The grumpy one is Uncle Ben, who isn't an uncle at all. He was an only child and hates children. Rarely smiles, except when Mopsy sits at the baby grand while Topsy displays her plie for us all during brunch, or while Prissy sings for us the arias she taught Marian Anderson. Jezebel tries to cheer him, but he refuses her advances. Momentarily dejected, she tucks her Bible solemnly under her arm and later smiles, resolving to try again later.

Mammy is usually at the mirror brushing the long, sandy brown hair that reaches past her waist. We all envy her curves, thin ankles, and quick smile. We think she is the most beautiful woman here and are baffled at their choice to cast Hattie McDaniel in her role in that movie. "The nerve," she snorts at herself in the mirror, "you wouldn't even know I had a waist lookin' at that woman. That isn't me at all."

The rest of us are here, too. Jasper, Rastus. Amos, Andy, and Sapphire (they are nearly inseparable; best friends since any of us can remember). The Pickaninny Triplets (their first names are Sarah, Jane, and Mary; most people don't care to remember them, though, but we do here) and Little Nigger Jim, who could pass for white if he wanted to. Always has his nose in a book. Watching him act out Shakespeare's famed scenes is an amazing site; we love it because he always puts some of us in them.

We try to do that here a lot. Put ourselves where people have forgotten us. We are so easy to miss if people don't look for us, our stories so easily ignored and rewritten. They are plain to us because there are no walls here. No walls, no need for windows.

But gotdamn, can we ever get up past this ceiling?

Im feeling it
not much of a critque person, just like it or I dont
and I def. liked it.

"Imagine you
trying to sterotype me
Dislike me
and when I make hot shyt try to bite me
Stop being shiesty!" - Me

"Hey Hey Hey Smoke weed everyday"- Dave Chapelle

"Stop talking outta your ass!!!"-My father

And this is mos' def' a skillfully written -- Cleverly composed pCe of work -- A delight to read -- INDEED! -- ;^)

Luv'd the concept too -- *smiles*

I diggin this, but than does it still count if i can't read?...lol

I definitely liked this from the beginning on down to the end. You had that creativity flowing and the incorporation of the "people vs. the characters" was just too nice!!! I'm glad that this caught my eye. And the ending line....CLASSIC!

~*~
Beauty is in my ear
I sketch beautiful
rhythms with a pen
canvassing
my thoughts
artfully articulated
into harmonies of
words
~*~ KSB ~*~

"My fear is my only courage."
Bob Marley

but i thank u

:o)

this prose?

it's damn good. the visuals and the in depth descriptions of each one of the "we love to want to forget" characters... what triggered this piece of writing Trace?









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On
the corner of hope
and nowhere

i stood. ©revion

Wow. You've just turned me into a fan. I had to read this twice because it provokes so much thought. If there was an OKPLAYER NAACP award, this would be deserving of it. You really took me back in time to those "colored section" days with this prose and I thank you for sharing your profound words. UP..UP..UP!

as always.. gurl u never cease to impress me.. you have the most beautiful style.. i was smiling from the beginning to the end, vivid pictures in my mind..

you are a *true* storyteller.. a true artist. big props.

Breathe E.Z.
~ Zhana ~

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"Keep your power just in the day that you are living on this Earth, and not on how to maneuver tomorrow." ~Meditations for Souls in Process

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"Why do you stay in prison
when the door is so wide open?" ~Rumi

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"Give me a naked Soul... And a Mature Mind." ~Joshua Redman

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"Though we seem to be sleeping,
there is an inner wakefulness
that directs the dream,
and that will eventually startle us back
to the truth of who we are." ~Rumi



***************************
"und ur musick SUKS! i aiy'nt hurd won singel floot onn a trak! i doa'nt cair iff itt iz a demoh! u STARRT wif a floot, THIN u wriat leericks, THIN u rekord a demoh. DAM nega! evurrywon knoes thaat!" -RUBURT KOLLEY

every so often ill pick an album and write a piece of prose or a poem to each track on it as a writing exercise, and i typically post the pieces i come up with in the general discussion forum.

that's what im doin now, except with random songs; this piece came from Donnie's 'Welcome to the Colored Section' intro.

thank yall for reading :o)

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On
the corner of hope
and nowhere

i stood. ©revion

much enjoyed

the way you write here is like wataching a high-wire artist- the real storytelling/sarcasm is finely balanced .
bless

i be lyin sometimes, tho.

I'm kinda ^UpPiN^ this for MUSE -- In case he happens to cruize back thru --

Cuz I'm sure he just missed this wonderful pCe of artistic wordplay --

~AND~

I'm ^UpPiN^ this cuz I really enjoyed the read -- (((INDEED))) -- :D

amazing.

This is the kinda flow that I'd mos' def' recommend for the "ARCHIVES" -- But since we ain't got one anymore -- I'LL JUST ^UP^ it! -- *smiles*