and big Mama and feel hit feeling, feel like killing Mama. But I don't, instead I call little Precious and say, Come to Mama but I means me. Come to me little Precious. Little Precious look at me, smile, and start to sing: ABCDEFG ...
Wednesday morning Jo Ann back. She not like G.E.D. I guess. Say she need a little brush up before she go to G.E.D. Miz Rain don't say nuffin'
till she hear the brush up stuff, then Miz Rain say,
"Are you in the right class Jo Ann? This is a class to learn reading and writing, this is not a brush up for G.E.D." Jo Ann look hate at Miz Rain. I like Miz Rain. I see what she doing, I think. Jo Ann tryin' to act like she ain' one of us. Miz Rain tryin'
to git her to 'cept herself for where she at. She ain' no G.E.D. girl, leas' not yet.
Miz Rain call roll: Jermaine Hicks, Rhonda Johnson, Precious Jones, Consuelo Montenegro, Jo Ann Rogers, Rita Romero. Everybody here.
Miz Rain ax, "Who wishes to start?" Jo Ann and Jermaine look at her like what she talking. I go to stand up, see Rita Romero done beat me to my feet. She slim, not pretty but she got that light skin that stand for something. Miz Rain look me, say, Gone git up Precious, you can recite together. Rita smile half a smile at me; it's real, but only half 'cause she don't want to show rot teef. I look in her eye, she nod, we go together: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.
Then everybody go except Jo Ann. Then Miz Rain ax us to get out our journal books. Mama don't give me no money but I took the change from the food stamps when I was shopping to git one. I got Rhonda's 50 cents too from bottles and cans.
"This is your journal," Miz Rain say. "You're going to write in it everyday." Jo Ann look disgusted, like yeah right! One minute we doin' ABCs, next minute we spozed to be writing. Miz Rain give her look like fuck you bitch. I can tell Miz Rain don't like her but she don't say nothin'. She jus'
tell us we gonna write in our journals for fifteen minutes everyday.
How, I wonder.
"How," Rhonda say out loud, "how we gonna write for fifteen minutes if we can't spell?"
What we gonna write if we could spell, I wonder.
"What," Jermaine throw her two cents in, "what we gonna write?"
Miz Rain say, "Write what's on your mind, push yourself to see the letters that represent the words you're thinking." She turn to me ax real fast, "Precious what's on your mind?" I say,
"What?"' She say, "What you was thinking just then." I go to open my mouf. She say, "Don't say it, write it" I say, "I can't." She say, "Don't say that." She say, "DO what I say, write what you was dunking." I do:
li Mg o mi m
She tell everyone to not talk and to write for the next fifteen minutes. Everybody is trying something. After time up Miz Rain come to my book ax me to read what I wrote. I reads: "Little Mongo on my mind."
Underneaf what I wrote Miz Rain write what I said in pencil.
li Mg o mi m
(Little Mongo on my mind)
Then she write:
Who is Little Mongo?
She read me what she wrote, tell me to write my answer to her question in the book. I copy Little Mongo's name from where Miz Rain had wrote it.
Litte mony is mi cie
Miz Rain read, "Little Mongo is my child?" She have question in her voice. I say, "Yes yes." Miz Rain know Little Mongo is my child 'cause I wrote it in my journal. I am happy to be writing. I am happy to be in school. Miz Rain say we gonna write everyday, that mean home too. 'N she gonna write back everyday. Thas great.
I go home. I'm so lonely there. I never notice before. I'm so busy getting beat, cooking, cleaning, pussy and asshole either hurting or popping. School I a joke: black monster, Big Bertha, Blimp B54 where are you? 'N the TVs in my head always static on, flipping picture. So much pain, shame—I never feel the loneliness. It such a small thing compare to your daddy climb on you, your muver kick you, slave you, feel you up. But now since I been going to school I feel lonely. Now since I sit in circle I realize all my life, all my life I
Wednesday morning Jo Ann back. She not like G.E.D. I guess. Say she need a little brush up before she go to G.E.D. Miz Rain don't say nuffin'
till she hear the brush up stuff, then Miz Rain say,
"Are you in the right class Jo Ann? This is a class to learn reading and writing, this is not a brush up for G.E.D." Jo Ann look hate at Miz Rain. I like Miz Rain. I see what she doing, I think. Jo Ann tryin' to act like she ain' one of us. Miz Rain tryin'
to git her to 'cept herself for where she at. She ain' no G.E.D. girl, leas' not yet.
Miz Rain call roll: Jermaine Hicks, Rhonda Johnson, Precious Jones, Consuelo Montenegro, Jo Ann Rogers, Rita Romero. Everybody here.
Miz Rain ax, "Who wishes to start?" Jo Ann and Jermaine look at her like what she talking. I go to stand up, see Rita Romero done beat me to my feet. She slim, not pretty but she got that light skin that stand for something. Miz Rain look me, say, Gone git up Precious, you can recite together. Rita smile half a smile at me; it's real, but only half 'cause she don't want to show rot teef. I look in her eye, she nod, we go together: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.
Then everybody go except Jo Ann. Then Miz Rain ax us to get out our journal books. Mama don't give me no money but I took the change from the food stamps when I was shopping to git one. I got Rhonda's 50 cents too from bottles and cans.
"This is your journal," Miz Rain say. "You're going to write in it everyday." Jo Ann look disgusted, like yeah right! One minute we doin' ABCs, next minute we spozed to be writing. Miz Rain give her look like fuck you bitch. I can tell Miz Rain don't like her but she don't say nothin'. She jus'
tell us we gonna write in our journals for fifteen minutes everyday.
How, I wonder.
"How," Rhonda say out loud, "how we gonna write for fifteen minutes if we can't spell?"
What we gonna write if we could spell, I wonder.
"What," Jermaine throw her two cents in, "what we gonna write?"
Miz Rain say, "Write what's on your mind, push yourself to see the letters that represent the words you're thinking." She turn to me ax real fast, "Precious what's on your mind?" I say,
"What?"' She say, "What you was thinking just then." I go to open my mouf. She say, "Don't say it, write it" I say, "I can't." She say, "Don't say that." She say, "DO what I say, write what you was dunking." I do:
li Mg o mi m
She tell everyone to not talk and to write for the next fifteen minutes. Everybody is trying something. After time up Miz Rain come to my book ax me to read what I wrote. I reads: "Little Mongo on my mind."
Underneaf what I wrote Miz Rain write what I said in pencil.
li Mg o mi m
(Little Mongo on my mind)
Then she write:
Who is Little Mongo?
She read me what she wrote, tell me to write my answer to her question in the book. I copy Little Mongo's name from where Miz Rain had wrote it.
Litte mony is mi cie
Miz Rain read, "Little Mongo is my child?" She have question in her voice. I say, "Yes yes." Miz Rain know Little Mongo is my child 'cause I wrote it in my journal. I am happy to be writing. I am happy to be in school. Miz Rain say we gonna write everyday, that mean home too. 'N she gonna write back everyday. Thas great.
I go home. I'm so lonely there. I never notice before. I'm so busy getting beat, cooking, cleaning, pussy and asshole either hurting or popping. School I a joke: black monster, Big Bertha, Blimp B54 where are you? 'N the TVs in my head always static on, flipping picture. So much pain, shame—I never feel the loneliness. It such a small thing compare to your daddy climb on you, your muver kick you, slave you, feel you up. But now since I been going to school I feel lonely. Now since I sit in circle I realize all my life, all my life I
Similar Books
