I Am Nobody's Nigger
Dean Atta
Language: English
Pages: 95
ISBN: 1908906162
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
"Beyond black, beyond white, beyond straight, beyond gay, so I say. Love your eyes over these words of truth. You will be uplifted."—Benjamin Zephaniah
"Go Dean Atta. Speak the truth. Tweet the truth. Upload it. Let it ring out over the digital domain and strike at the heart of the offline wireless and disconnected."—Lemn Sissay
To know that we share something unspeakable
To know that as high as we rise we are not seen as equal
To know that racism is institutional thinking
And that 'nigger' is the last word you heard before a lynching.
Revolutionary, reflective, and romantic, I Am Nobody's Nigger is the powerful debut collection by one of the United Kingdom's finest emerging poets.
Exploring race, identity, and sexuality, Dean Atta shares his perspective on family, friendship, relationships, and London life, from riots to one-night stands.
Dean Atta is a writer and performance poet. He won the 2012 London Poetry Award and was named as one of the most influential LGBT people by The Independent on Sunday Pink List 2012. He is an ambassador for the Spirit of London Awards for Achievement through the Arts.
Heidegger and the Media (Theory and Media)
Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
Giorgio Agamben: A Critical Introduction
Speech Genres and Other Late Essays
Selected Writings In Sociology and Social Philosophy
to intuit what you don’t share And sense your mystery I don’t want to rewrite our history Or reclaim your story as my own I don’t want to write just because I feel so alone I don’t want to write poems about who we were Never were Could’ve been If I’d just seen the signs If I’d just been in the right place at the right time To receive all you were trying to give I don’t want to write poems like that But this is how I live. Published 2013 by The Westbourne Press 1 � Dean Atta 2013
No, dem just stopped sharing Cos you done stopped caring If you are now prepared to hear Revolution may begin this year Go forth with what you have been told Tell young girl she’s worth more than gold Tell young boy what a man’s about The truth nah whisper, the truth does shout We are the revolution We are the solution We hold the key And it begins with you and me We are the revolution We are the solution We hold the key And it begins with unity. Fatherless Nation We’re living
There are few shortcuts to understanding Common language is a good paving stone So when you can’t speak the language of love You realise you may be walking this path alone Made in England, we’re half this and half that But they could more easily overlook that fact If we could speak with our mother’s tongue Not let our skin speak for us But join in the family chorus I can’t tell you why She would wilfully deny Her daughter and her son But she has swallowed it And we are struck dumb
‘I’ll get you some chicken and chips.’ He said, ‘Nah, I’m a vegetarian.’ I said, ‘Well, then I’ll buy you a salad.’ He said, ‘Look, I just want the money, yeah, I just want the money.’ I said, ‘Well, I just want many things but beggars can’t be choosers.’ He said, ‘I ain’t a beggar, bruv, I ain’t a beggar.’ I said, ‘Well, then I beg you, bruv, just move on.’ And that was the last I ever saw of John But I thought about him all day long I felt a bit ashamed And a little bit guilty But
School kids And kids getting schooled by the streets Used by the streets, abused by the streets Confused by these streets And their portrayal in music and on TV See me I’m from North Weezy But I’m not on Channel U reppin’ ends And I don’t roll with a crew Just a few close friends. I make moves on my Oyster card I don’t drive a Benz I’ve got ten pounds in my pocket Until the week ends I speak on Facebook Because T-Mobile locked off my phone My friends come check me still I am never
