preoccupied
© 2012 by margaux delotte-bennett
searching
always searching
because what is at hand is never enough
what we had before
what is coming next
anything but now
will be better
will be richer
will fill the empty spaces in our chests
and in our lives
how wide can we grab?
how far must we go to seek a remedy
to the sickness of our own making?
we are ill because
the poisons we are sucking down
the lies we are pouring into our own ears
the smoke filled room we are crawling through
is ablaze with our
fear
ignorance
denial of problems festering
since the last time we decided to ignore them
hatred serves no one
greed eats its host as it consumes more and more
notions of supremacy
in all its forms
will only show others where we are lacking
backing into corners we carefully constructed
out of the bits of our souls we shield from the sun
fail to let thrive
hide from others
including ourselves
we are pre-occupied with everything
besides what will
keep us alive.
the poem of the week is going to be presented as a part of this event:
so you will have to come and see it performed at 3333 14th Street, NW! My new poem entitled “preoccupied” will be posted up on the site once it has debuted live. an image of my co-conspirator for the performance can be found below. i just love this picture of us!
i hope you can join us on Friday or Saturday evening…
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or if Sunday afternoon is more your speed, i am hosting a yummy event to awaken the senses…
all this goodness in one weekend.
are you ready?
did you know that March18th-March 24th is International Anti-Street Harassment Week? well it IS and my creative tribe, The Saartjie Project, will be participating by doing some street theater this Saturday 3/24/12 at 1:30pm near the corner of 7th and G Streets, NW. that is right in the HEART of Gallery Place. the piece i am posting today will be one of the pieces that i will be sharing on Saturday. If you are able to join us, we would love to see your smiling faces! 
words
© 2001 by margaux delotte-bennett
if you don’t have a vagina
it might be hard to understand
how the words, “you’re a fine looking woman!”
can instantly turn from a phrase to seduce
into a noose
snaking its way around my oh so long and pretty
breakable neck
these words aren’t used to lift me up
but to hold me up
face to the wall
legs spread
juices hopefully flowing
who gave them the power?
who gave you the power?
it certainly wasn’t me that taught Zeus
that rape and seduce are synonymous
or teaches soldiers that if you can’t take it by air
take it by sea
or teaches some that ‘no means no’ is registered on a plane that only dogs
seems to unconditionally understand
and who am I to knock flattery?
because apparently someone staring at me
can’t help but see a queen
and when I serenely avoid the advances
I have to take my chances with being called a
stuck up bitch.
I wish I could shake you and make you overstand
the power you wield as a man.
use your words wisely
not on some corner to size up women the likes of me
who can plainly see
this really ain’t where you need to be.
it’s that time of year again!
this past saturday i celebrated Burns Night, an annual commemoration of the life of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759. the day also celebrates Burns’ general contributions to Scottish culture and there is a lot of ritual attached with the festivities. there is a menu, an agenda (with an order of speeches and toasts), lots of whiskey drinking and poetry. all good. i was nominated to wrote a toast to the gentleman gathered and the poem/ toast below was what i came up with. so dust off your best scottish accent, and give it a whirl. it’s a toast, so it should be read out loud.
Toast to the Lads
© 2012 by margaux delotte-bennett
to be honest
toasting the lads scared me a bit
to fashion a rhyme that balanced sarcasm and wit
I am a poet who oft rejects rhyme
deconstructing themes of race and body most of the time
but lads should be celebrated
and lads should be mocked
as my research on burns night toasts on youtube taught
the lads gathered here are quite a lot
they are photographers, computer geeks, business men, teachers – no cops
they are men of leisure and men of wine
because they seem to be hosting drinking excursions
all of the time
they are lads that dine and lads that love
who travel the world
and dance with a twirl
and hike up cliffs
and camp until stiff
and ski and cook
and laugh and look
but I seldom hear of any of them reading a proper book
this urban tribe through dear Ryan I was introduced
is full of lads of honor, I deduce
because for all your whiskey and homemade beer imbibing
there have been no wife swaps
no fist fights
no loud and raunchy vibe-ing
no uninvited bottom pinching unawares
just hungry side eyes and amorous stares
and therein lies the problem with this group of lads
a woman’s virtue is too safe amongst you
what are you, cads?
even still, let us raise our glasses to this sorry lot
and be thankful for this gathering, perverts or not
because many of us lassies would have given it up
if we were ever propositioned or properly caught
to the lads!
photo by gareth wade
strong river woman
© 2011 by margaux delotte-bennett
strong river woman steps heavy
as she pulls her weight
along with the burdens she always seems to have to bear
seems to have to bear alone
her two shoulders like diamonds
gleaming under the pressure always found there
on the surface upon which her burdens she bears
strong river woman with knotted shoulders
and firm back
can carry you when you fall
no one (including her) thinks they can carry her or her burdens
strong is as strong does
strong river woman’s flow
thrashes the rocks and the trees
she is on her knees under the weight of all she had to carry
but her strong is fast
and her strong is fleet
her strong flows powerfully down the river called her back
this bridge is broken
who will help strong river woman
build it back?
back strong
back river
back
strong
river
woman
Filed under: performance
Some professional theaters usually offer 1-2 American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted shows during a run. They offer a Friday night here and/ or a Sunday matinee there. For the full run if my one woman show, Black & Kinky Amongst Brown Waves, it is very important to me that each show have ASL interpretation. I thought it might be good to openly share some of the reasons why…
1. The Deaf community made this story possible
I have been interested in ASL since the 3rd grade when we learned to sign a song for a Christmas concert. The fact that I could expressively communicate with my hands and others could understand me was fascinating. I have taken classes over the years, but supervising 2 Deaf high school interns really helped me to deepen my learning about the language and the culture. It also inspired me to apply to Gallaudet University’s graduate Social Work program so that I could learn more about my profession while studying in an environment using the language I had learned to love. When I discovered that we could do our semester long social work internships overseas, the idea to study and travel in India was born. Gallaudet made it possible for me to go to India. For the rest of that story, you will have to come to the show! Tickets can be purchased here.
2. Cross-cultural understanding
In this country there are many opportunities for us to have cross-cultural experiences. The various racial, ethnic, language and identity groups that interact and bump into each other on a regular basis consistently create platforms for growth and understanding when we are not afraid. My story is about my navigation of a new country and culture and I wanted to make sure that that could also be experienced within the theater. The ASL interpreters are present for the hearing audience members as well as for the Deaf. Language access improves everyone’s experience as it creates new points of intersection and understanding.
3. The beauty of ASL
My hope is that during the production, audience members will be able to appreciate the beauty of ASL, if they do not do so already. There is poetry in the structure of sentences and the use of the face to indicate grammar and tense. There are times in the narrative when I sign or I am expressively silent because there are parts of my story that have to be shared in that way.
Your contribution to the Indiegogo campaign will help to cover the cost of interpreters each night. I could have sought our volunteers, but it is important to me to have accredited interpreters and to pay them for their service.
Even if you can not come to the show, your $5-$10 donation can go a long way towards promoting this opportunity for language access, cross-cultural understanding and beauty.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Filed under: performance
In less than a month my one woman show will take NYC by storm! I am filled with nervous excitement, but I know that it will be an amazing adventure. Tickets are on sale here: Black and Kinky Amongst Brown Waves. The show runs from September 8th -17th. Below is one of the poems from the show… I hope to see you there!
odyssey (c) 2009 by margaux delotte-bennett
it is so fitting that odyssey starts with
odd
because someone always says
what?
why?
you want to go off to where?
odyssey
goddess-like without the big G
divine inspiration without the head
but with a little bit of umph added along the way
a little, ey!
for the surprises
the moments of clarity
moments of confusion
moments of triumph
odd
yes
ey!
i have had the honor of being commissioned to write 2 pieces in my poetic life. One for the wonderful Button Farm run by the Menare Foundation and one for it’s founder’s 2011 Fringe show. Tony is performing this Sunday and I will be in the audience. If you would like to join me, the information about the show can be found here.
the interesting thing is that this pieces pretty much wrote itself. i let it come through me, but once i started, it had a direction and tone all it’s own. Tony actually ends his play with my words. that’s kinda hot!
Reaching Back
© 2011 by margaux delotte-bennett
reaching back
reaching back
through blood and stories
DNA and time
holding fast to the little I know
that keeps slipping through my fingers
holding fast
walking slowly
progressive steps that lead to
seconds dripping
through cracks
fissures between the reality of
what black is and ain’t
the true essence of manhood
the roots of family trees that sometimes choke new growth
providing too much shade or
shame
lives running on parallel paths to a freedom unknown
lives swimming through the murky understanding of purpose and place
lives joined
through bloodlines
thick with red dirt
okra
washboards turned into mouthpieces for song
steeped with longing
hungry for grace
I want nothing more than to hold you
your face
your heart
your hand
my heart
my face
my hands no longer tied to where you have been
but to where
we both are going
Filed under: performance
Black & Kinky Amongst Brown Waves will have a New York revival this Fall!
Details for the 6 show run at WOW cafe theatre can be found under the performance tab on the left hand side of this blog. There is also a Facebook event page here and a Facebook fan page here where you can find information about ticket sales and special promotions I will be offering leading up to the sh0w. Tickets can be found here.
I hope you can join me and help spread the word!
greetings to one and all!
this week i used one of my pieces to inspire a new poem. i have a short play call “the lie” in which Sweet Thing (from Nina Simone’s song Four Women) had a chat with one of her long time clients/ friends. Sweet Thing is explaining that she is complex, and should be viewed as such. in her own words she explains, “i am the candle holder and the flame. cyril, i am that shell that stands in front of you even when i’m tired to the bone. i’m not just holes and smell goods and ‘special’ needs.”
this piece takes that sentiment a bit further…
my spark
© 2011 by margaux delotte-bennett
as I stand before you
I am the candle and the flame
wax
cotton wick
pigment or not
sulphur strike
phosphorous ignite
flickering stillness
bright
warm
beginning and end unclear
at the point of intersection
I firmly stand
here
I have the inherent potential
to burn your house down
have your babies run screaming into the night
in my wholeness
I have the ability to cast shadows
that kiss your face
when you settle down to a dinner
lit by me
I am utility
comfort
charm
grace
sometimes discarded for use
at a needed time and place
standing here
I wonder
can you see the glow
in my face?
