endless poetry, I am digging in earth of salt and sand, moving away from my own words, toward I don 't know what. Sonia's words are most effectively conveyed through her own voice, and in fact some of her work is only fully understood when read aloud. But her art is revealed on the page as well, where the words become colors, shapes, and textures. They defy margins and style, utilizing all capitals or lower case, repetition, and alternative spelling. Sonia was an activist in the 60s and 70s- she still is today, in fact, but her early works reflect anger. Anger directed at racism and sexism. Anger at drugs and violence. Anger at white America. I have often felt that being white is an apologetic act. In spite of generations, there is a guilt to being colorless, the culmination of history and heritage. Sonia writes of this in a poem, the title of which is an acronym popular in the 1960s (Taking Care of Business): TCB wite/motha/fucka wite/mothalfucka wite/motha/fucka whitey. wite/motha/fucker wite/motha/fucker wite/motha/fucker ofay. wite/muthalfucka wite/mutha/fucka wite/muthalfucka devil. wite/mutha/fucker wite/mutha/fucker wite/mutha/fucker pig. wite/mother/fucker 51
Filii #21