May 9, 2011 -- Staceyann Chin was born in 1971 in Jamaica but currently resides in New York City. She is a spoken-word poet, an LGBT activist as well as a performing artist. Her ethnic background is Chinese, Jamaican and African. She published a memoir in 2009 entitled "The Other Side of Paradise - A Memoir."
...And these are only some of the things I believe...
Imagination is the bridge
between the things we know for sure
and the things we need to believe
when our worlds become unbearable
So I know the way my tongue feels
wrapped around a sliver of East Indian mango
I know it reminds me of a time of giant breadfruit trees
skinned six year-old knees
and pungent pimento seeds drying on a sheet of galvanized zinc.
I know the sounds I make during sex
know them because my lover makes them for me
when she wants to remind me that I am not always in control
I also know if you are black
male and mobile in America
the police will pull you over -
especially if you drive an expensive car
I know if you speak differently from the rest of the crowd
chances are your contemporaries have already made fun of you
We all know this world is difficult
because we each have to live here
and in this time of schoolboy bullets
biological warfare and kiddie porn
it takes guts to believe in any God
so I practice on believing in the smaller things
till [sic] I am able to make room for the rest
I begin with believing there's a Santa Claus
except I believe Saint Nicholas is a holiday transvestite
and I believe in monsters lurking under the bed
because they give our children something to conquer
before the world begins to conquer them
And I believe in the steady inflation of the tooth fairy
donate more than one nickel to that cause
because a dime under a pillow makes it easier
to endure the loss of a molar
prepares for the greater loss of a teacher
or a mother to the NYPD
And I believe in the identity of the Easter Bunny
believe he's the same person as Bugs Bunny
which means being schizophrenic isn't always bad
means when I'm tired of being a black feminist poet
I could go rally for rights of the new age transsexuals
get them an interview with Rosie O'Donell or Oprah
I believe I could find them a few friends right there on Sesame Street
and contrary to popular belief
I believe Bert and Ernie are straight
I believe they're just waiting for the right girls to come along
but I believe Kermit the Frog is a closet Dyke
and that's why he has issues with pushy lesbians like Miss Piggy And I believe most lovers will lie to you eventually
and though I believe two wrongs don't ever make a right --sometimes slashing his tires make you feel better
and I believe Dharma and Greg are funny
but only if they make you laugh
and I believe Pinky and the Brain are revolutionaries
because every night--they try to take over the world
like them, I believe everyone should believe in something
anything - if it helps you make it through the day
so I believe in Ashanti spirits
in spite of what the pragmatists say
I believe in unbelievable phenomena
like telepathy and karmic shape-shifters
crafting futures from the moon
I believe in world peace
I believe if I believe - it could really come soon
and I believe in unexpected and capricious friendships
I believe in trusting with the tenacity of a fool
And I believe in believing everyday
-and for as long as we can-
I believe we should believe in something we don't know for sure
acknowledge the range of possibilities
unlimited by what we see
move reality with imagination
we declare what our destinies will be
Copy written materials are not mine and copy rights are retained by their respective owner(s). Actual lines of verse are reproduced here for educational, not-for-profit purposes.
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Writer Staceyann Chin: Off The Shelfby SimonSchusterVideos1,468 views
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