 I'm, I'm so honored to be here. I'm, I'm very emotional right now. As soon as I walked in the room, tears started coming down my face and it's Pat's spirit. It's everyone in this room, it's her words, it's everything and I didn't know anything about her until I was asked to do this and it was brought to me and I, I mean I'm in shock. I feel like a part of my life has just returned to me and I have a definition. I have words to explain who I am, I have a community, I have love, I have so much, so much, so much love for this person I never knew and I feel like I do know her though and I love her very much. So I'm, excuse me, yes, yes. I'm going to read two poems. I feel our very special, all of her poems are special, all of her writings are special, but I just touched down in Oakland on Monday and Oakland called to me the love, the community, the people and I feel like these poems talk about some of those things, especially in these times where we need to remember we're all human. My lover is a woman and when I hold her feel her warmth, I feel good, feel safe. Then I never think of my family's voices, never hear my sisters say bull daggers, queers, funny. Come see us but don't bring your friends. It's okay with us but don't tell mama, it'll break her heart. Never feel my father turn in his grave, never hear my mother cry, Lord what kind of child is this? My lover's hair is blonde and when it rubs across my face it feels soft, feels like a thousand fingers touch my skin and hold me and I feel good. Then I never think of the little boy who spat and called me a nigger, never think of the policeman who kicked my body and said crawl, never think of black bodies hanging in trees or filled with bullet holes, never hear my sisters say white folks hair stinks. Don't trust any of them, never feel my father turn in his grave, never hear my mother talk of her backache after scrubbing floors, never her her cry, Lord what kind of child is this? My lover's eyes are blue and when she looks at me I float in a warm lake, feel my muscles go weak with want, feel good, feel safe. Then I never think of the blue eyes that have glared at me, move three stools away from me in a bar, never hear my sister's rage of syphilitic black men as guinea pigs, rage of sterilized children, watch them stop in an intersection to scare the old white bitch, never feel my father turn in his grave, never remember my mother teaching me the yes sirs and ma'ams to keep me alive, never hear my mother cry, Lord what kind of child is this? And when we go to a gay bar and my people shun me because I crossed the line and her people look to see what's wrong with her, what defect drove her to me and when we walk the streets of the city, forget and touch or hold hands and the people stare, glare, frown and taunt at those queers, I remember every word taught to me, every word said to me, every deed done to me and then I hate, I look at my lover and for an instant doubt, then I hold her hand tighter and I can hear my mother cry, Lord what kind of child is this? This next election is called pit stop, breathing into the mic here, here we go. A pit is a covered hole used to trap wild animals, a pit is an abyss, a pit is the ground floor of a theater especially the part at the rear, a pit is a coward suicide, a hearty drink to anything, let us drink to your new lover, let us drink to your lover gone, let us drink to my lover, let us drink to my lover gone, hey let's drink to the good people, let's drink to the nearest holiday, let's drink to our ability to drink, a pit is a covered hole used by wild animals, it's hard to withdraw the fangs now in public spaces, the anger spills over to be mopped away later, too much to drink, slow fang withdrawal, our animalism is showing a bad image, let's drink to a bad image, let's drink to a covered pit and happy animals and withdrawn fangs, a pit is an abyss, let's drink to my shame, a hustle, a grand hustle, I love you, so I won't call you a fool, let's have another drink, you love me, you won't walk away from me, let's have another drink to our hustle, let's hustle another drink and drink to our ability to hustle, let's have a drink to our shame, let's have a drink to drink, a pit is the ground floor of a theater, especially the part in the rear, it was a good show last night, full of venom, I thought for sure she would hit her and did you see that woman fall off the stool, yes indeed a grand show, everybody was and it ended safely, how's your head this morning Dairy, let's drink to a good show, let's drink to the rear of the theater, it's hard to get hit with a bottle here, just to watch the show, let's drink to a ground floor, has anyone ever priced the balcony, a pit is a coward suicide, what do you mean kill yourself, that's a bummer, makes me sad, let's have another drink, yes I've gained weight, it's the beer you know, cold, yes caught a lot of colds, just need to take more vitamin C, let's have a hot toddy for my cold, whoa that's too bad, overdose, won't touch the stuff, if anything kills me, it will be the booze, let's have a drink to her and her drug, she was a good kid, one of these days I'll have a check up, getting winded too easily, getting old, let's have another drink, I can't imagine anyone committing suicide, the mechanics are too slow here, the tire should be on, the gas in, what's the matter, you want to cost us the race, oh one more drink, let's drink to the race, let's drink to the pit crew, let's drink, let's drink, let us drink, let us drink, drink, drink, excuse me friends, I must go now, I cannot afford to lose this race, I cannot afford to die in this place, Pat Parker, yeah come on give her a big hand, thank you