When the President of the United States Calls a Black Woman a Dog and Of Course He Said Nigger

Cuando El Presidente De Los Estados Unido Llama Perra A Una Mujer Negra

HEAR OMAROSA.

Oir Omarosa.

 
 
When the President of the United States
Calls a Black Woman a Dog
Copyright 2018 by Alice Walker

When the President of the United States
Calls a black woman a dog
We understand he lacks the courage
To say what he means: bitch.
But this is where we are
As a nation of cowards,
As we follow a person,
Who, as Omarosa warns us,
Is falling over a cliff.
His thumb near a button
That might annihilate us all.
His anger certain to be taken out
On the children and their parents,
Grandparents, housing and food stores,
In Korea and Iran.
Syria, and other places too.
As well as on black people everywhere
Whose feelings he consistently ignores
And hurts.

Lucky for dogs
They do not feel this pain.
They go about their business
Same as always:
An eternity of kindness
In their expressive eyes;
Aeons of concern and helpfulness;
Offerings of joy
In every Age.

Dogs are the winners here
On Earth I think.
They know what is
Apparently impossible
For many humans to learn:
That there exists
A kind of free Goodness
In the soul that gives up
All pretense
Of being more of or better than:
A kind of free happiness
In being creatures
With nothing to hide.

Written in defense of dogs everywhere.  And of women, everywhere.

See: Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House
By Omarosa Manigault Newman

Of Course He Said Nigger

Copyright 2018 by Alice Walker

Of course he said nigger
You would too
If you hung out with the niggers
He surrounds himself with
When you’re not looking,
In all their gold chains
Wristwatches
And teeth. That’s how
they talk.
Grow up.
Stop talking
About “the N word”
As if it is more important
Than the countries
He bombs
Or the children
He starves.

Nigger has a meaning
You would have to live
Lifetimes
To comprehend.

It would never submit
To the phony “N word”;
So current among those who
Wish to “do the right thing”
Bycovering up America:
An effort that makes you
Culpable and dishonest
Every time you do it.

We might as well call a Spade
A Spade or should we say
“the ‘S’ word”?
&nsp;
Didn’t know about that one,
Did you?

Niggers have at least one
Honorable tradition,
No matter how many
Gold nooses, chains, and shackles
They wear.
They have never endangered a planet
Or even destroyed part of one.
Most still respect children.
Why not simper as you say:
“The N.N. (Non Nigger) word”
And go off in that fruitful direction
Of who not to offend:
Then we might all
Sleep better
At night.

A poem in solidarity with Dareen Tatour, poet in Palestine;

Prisoner in Israel. Our double-speak is as bad.

OIR OMAROSA.

Hear Omarosa.

CUANDO EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDO LLAMA PERRA A UNA MUJER NEGRA

© Alice Walker 2018

Cuando el presidente de los Estados Unidos
le llama perra a una mujer negra
sabemos que le falta el coraje para
decir eso que quiere decir: puta.
Pero es ahí donde estamos
como una nación de cobardes,
mientras seguimos a una persona que,
como Omarosa nos advierte,
está cayendo por un precipicio.
Su pulgar cerca de un botón
que podría aniquilarnos a todos.
Su ira resuelta a verterla
sobre los niños y sus padres,
sus abuelos, casas y mercados
en Corea e Irán,
en Siria y otros sitios también.
Lo mismo en todas partes sobre los negros
cuyos sentimientos constantemente
ignora y hiere.

Dichosos los perros
ellos no sienten este dolor.
Van a sus asuntos
igual que siempre:
una eterna amabilidad
en sus expresivos ojos.
Eones de preocupación y utilidad.
Ofrendas de alegría
en cada Era.

Los perros son los triunfadores aquí
sobre la Tierra yo creo.
Ellos conocen lo que
aparentemente es imposible
para muchos humanos aprender:
que existe
cierta especie de libre Bondad
en el alma que renuncia
a toda presunción de ser
más o mejor que
una felicidad libre
en ser criaturas
que nada tienen que ocultar.

Escrito en defensa de los perros en cualquier lugar. Y de las mujeres, dondequiera.

Vea: Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House (Desconectado: Informede un conocedor íntimo sobre la Casa Blanca de Trump), de Omarosa Manigault Newman