Emily Spencer

dream PRIMER

the pearl and the princess
and the princess and the pearl
and the pearl
and the princess
and the princess and the pearl
a n d t h e p r i n c e s s a n d t h e p e a r l

pearls down my throat turned steel pipe
princess in my pants prince in my bed
p r i n c e l e a v e s m e f o r t h e f a i r e r
princess and the pearl and the pearl and the princess

andmygravehasabroketiara andastringwithaclasp

t
h
e
p
e
a
r
l
a
n
d
t
h
e
p
r
i
n
c
e
s
s
and the fairer princess and the pearl and the prince
and the grave⬄bed and the black⬄night and the white⬄day
t h e b l a c k d a y a n d t h e w h i t e n i g h t

a n d t h e p r i n c e s s
a n d t h e p e a r l
A N D. T H E. P E A R L. A N D. T H E. P R I N C E S S!

“Many African American women experience distress because of the continuing social preferences in their communities for lighter skin color, long straight hair, and Caucasoid features. Despite the increased social value given to “Blackness”…African American women are still confronted with Euro-American standards of beauty (St. Jean and Feagin 1998.) For African American women hair and skin color become complex issues not only as social, political, and fashion statements but also in terms of self-perceptions and self-esteem.”
From “The Epidemiology of Mental Disorders and Mental Health Among African American Women” by Dr. Diane R. Brown and Dr. Verna M. Keith, published 2003, Columbia University Press.

----------------------------------------------------cut here-----------------------------------------------------paper

i trust not this white
space the page
delineated place
no more suspect black words
i have to give to you

the highly suspicious sentence such a vastly holed specimen of intellectual physicality
----------------------------------------------------cut here-----------------------------------------------------paper

i trust this white
space the page
delineated place
more black words
i have to give to you

the sentence such a vastly holed specimen of intellectual physicality
----------------------------------------------------cut here-----------------------------------------------------screen

i trust not this black
space the frame
delineated place
no more black words
i have to give to you

the highly suspicious sentence such a vastly holed specimen of intellectual physicality
----------------------------------------------------cut here-----------------------------------------------------screen

i trust this black
space the frame
delineated place
more black words
i have to give to you

the sentence such a vastly holed specimen of intellectual physicality
----------------------------------------------------cut here-----------------------------------------------------

African American women have the highest rates of agoraphobia and simple phobia plus high rates of major depression. “An examination of the impact of race, gender, and social class on the lives of African American women may yield some insight, however, given that phobia in particular reflects fear about situations in which one has little control. Race and gender discrimination engender circumstances of poverty and uncertainty that African American women may feel powerless to change.” From “The Epidemiology of Mental Disorders and Mental Health Among African American Women” by Dr. Diane R. Brown and Dr. Verna M. Keith, published 2003, Columbia University Press.