She

by Williams, Saul

• ISBN13: 9780671039776
• ISBN10: 0671039776
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-06-01
• Publisher: MTV Books

Summary

Hailed as "a dreadlocked dervish of words...the Bob Marley of American poets"(Esquire),Saul Williams is a gifted young poet who is opening up this literary art form to a new generation of readers. Like his writing -- a fearless mix of connecting rhythms and vibrant images -- Saul Williams is unstoppable. He received raves for his performance as an imprisoned street poet in the Trimark Pictures releaseSlam,winner of the Camera d'Or at Cannes and the Grand Jury prize at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. The consummate spoken-word performance artist, Williams has also been signed by producer Rick Rubin to record a CD of his poetry.Sheis a fascinating and unique collection of interconnected poems by this multi-talented star -- and marks the beginning of an incredible and totally original artistic career.

Author Biography

Saul Williams received his B.A. in acting and philosophy from Morehouse College in Atlanta, and his Masters in acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

He co-wrote and starred in the Cannes and Sundance award-winning film Slam; he was also featured in the documentaries Slam Nation, Underground Voices, and I'll Make Me a World.

He is the author of a previous poetry collection, The Seventh Octave. And American/Sony is releasing a CD of his musical recordings.

Excerpts

FromShe

i presented

my feminine side

with flowers

she cut the stems

and placed them gently

down my throat

and these tu lips

might soon eclipse

your brightest hopes

***

she had nothing

but time on her hands:

silver rings, turquoise stones

and purple nails

i rubbed my thumb

across her palm:

a featherbed

where slept a psalm

yea, though i walk

i used to fly

and now we dance

i watched

my toenails blacken

and walked a deadened trance

until she woke me

with the knife edge

of her glance

i have the scars to prove

the clock strikes

with her hands

***

i have seen the truth

many times

but for the first time

she saw me

i wore suspenders

for the judgment

in my pants

***

i laced my shoes with sorrow

and walked a weary road

dead end streets

don't come undone

with double knots

wing tipped shoes

that walk on air

through vacant lots

***

she kept her deck

beneath her pillow

and had promised

me a reading

she stuck a bookmark

in my heart

and walked away

it was autumn then

the leaves

suddenly flames

the sidewalk

burning cinders

i walked the streets

as if the sun

had called me boy

mad at the world

on aging feet

shuffling

her cards

shuffling

my feet

head

to the sky

blue

the clouds

her cards

the clouds:

her cards

shuffling

the skies

a storm passes

new clouds appear:

the chariot

the priestess

the moon

in broad daylight:

an omen

***

love is an unbridled horse

with one wing out-stretched

the other tucked and folded

on the right side

the horse galloping

towards a cliff

knowingly

panting just enough

for you to think

he's laughing

he?

love is male?

love is a dumb horse

with silver streaks

and a sometimes penis

a sometimes penis?

on thursdays

the rest of the week

she grazes

and paints her hooves

with red mud

making tracks

through the fields

which disappear

soon after they appear

because nature has a way

of changing

the same way

it remains

Copyright © 1999 by Saul Williams

---

Excerpted from She by Saul Williams
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.