Its Monday night 6:15pm and I'm logging out of my clients computer and snatching my daughter away from the clutches of Sponge Bob Square Pants so that I can find where Jill Scott is tonight. I make random calls to a few people who knew nothing and then a call to the right person who told me where she was and how to get there. (Thanks Peachsauce) We got there at just the right time because they were not selling anymore tickets,all we had to do was walk in and find a seat. I took that opportunity to buy the book and look through it before she came out. This is when I realized that my darling daughter was in cartoon withdrawal, hungry and sleepy. She wiggled and moan and tried to make her self cry so I attempted to comfort her when a poet also waiting for Jill felt obliged to give me some of his poetry to read. So I read it ( I didn't wanna be rude) and it was actually good but I had to much going on to engage him. (sorry Monsoon) I had this child to deal with and my anticipation of seeing a woman that is in my league of what I like to call Real Women.(more on that later)
Streams of colored folk poured into the beautiful room at the First Congregational Church in Berkeley. There was lots of students as to be expected and the progressive white folks that have to make sure that they are apart of anything good and black that goes on. I also saw some of the gay children from SMAAC youth center in there. I said hello to some of my friends and then Jill entered the room. She explained that she was under the weather "some bad fish or something", she said and went right into her speech. She started with the a story about a list she wrote when she was 9 years old. All of a sudden my sulking child perked up. (hummmmmmmmmm?) Her list consist of all the things she wanted to accomplish in her life time.
1. to be a ballerina ( every one laughed and she gave us a crazy look)
2. to write an opera
3. to go around the corner all by herself
4. to be Storm from the XMEN cartoon
5. to star in a Broadway play (check)
6. to win a Grammy (check)
7. to marry a good man (check)
8. to write a Broadway play
9. to write a book of poetry (check which is on the New York Best Seller List)
This was the all of the list she gave and I was completely astonished how she captured my daughters attention. I wanted to take miss thing home so I could have her to tell her to pick her clothes up and she would actually listen to what I was saying. Anyway she began to read from her book titled "The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours The Poetry of Jill Scott". She began with some haiku poems and proceeded with a crowd pleas-er called Perms Hot Combs and Curlers. There wasn't a black woman in that room that couldn't identify with that piece. My personal favorites of the night were with "The women gather and Mrs. Byrd", which spoke of women who would snatch you up and talk to you when you were playing to hard with the boys or actin' fast before your time. She asked all of us men and women to be like Mrs. Byrd when we could because if we don't our babies get hurt, heartbroken and damaged beyond repair. She went on with inspiring stories about what it took for her to make it and the things she went through. People had more comments than questions when she was done but she didn't seem to mind. She really came alive when the kids from SMAAC asked her questions. She really went deep for them and I really appreciated her for that because everybody tries to look past SMAAC kids...(more on that another time). The line to get our book signed was ridiculous so I did a check in with my little diva and she told me, "look we got in, we saw her, bought the book and got a picture lets just go." I said my good-bye to my girlfriends and that's just what we did.
I want to thank Jill for her beautiful poetry. Its refreshing to read work from artist in my generation because I know exactly what going on and I can relate intimately to what I'm reading. I also want to thank her for waking up the passion to read and write in my little girl who usually just wants to dance and watch cartoon.
Real Women don't take know mess, Real Women know themselves and acknowledge their faults, Real Women look for good in every body, Real Women are good to themselves, Real Women don't have to work hard to look good, Real Women just love who they've become. Real Women tell it like it is and Live like there's no tomorrow. I'm a real woman and my child is teaching me how to be the best one I can be. Bushmama 2005 (c)
Go get the book. Its great for a gift.
*This book recieved a four black fist!
Writers of Color
University of San Francisco’s McLaren Center 
Junot Diaz, Suheir Hammad, Cherrie Moraga, Cristina Garcia, David Mura, Elmaz Abinader, Justin Chin with Tony Khalife--Romeo Garcia, emcee
