A Song for Maman Dantor
Alicia Cole
Sharpen the knife, cut away
the fat in one long stroke;
the marrow of the bone
is often the choicest stock -
ask the son to scour the pot,
ask the daughter to trim
the herb, ask the husband,
today sober, to speak for me.
Gone my tongue, gone
for the sake of our people.
Under the whip, I could
have cried out secrets;
I would not have cried
out secrets. Now, slice
the onion, roast it with
black pig, sweet fruits,
yam. I hunger for justice.
My children bring me water,
my face grimed from cleaning,
and the kitchen oh so hot.
the fat in one long stroke;
the marrow of the bone
is often the choicest stock -
ask the son to scour the pot,
ask the daughter to trim
the herb, ask the husband,
today sober, to speak for me.
Gone my tongue, gone
for the sake of our people.
Under the whip, I could
have cried out secrets;
I would not have cried
out secrets. Now, slice
the onion, roast it with
black pig, sweet fruits,
yam. I hunger for justice.
My children bring me water,
my face grimed from cleaning,
and the kitchen oh so hot.
Listen to Alicia read the poem here:
Working notes
This poem was written as part of a series honoring Vodoun lwa. A syncretic religion in Haiti, Vodoun spirits, or lwa, are syncretized with both Catholic saints and historic personages. During The Haitian Revolution, the woman who later become Maman Dantor was a revolutionary whose tongue was cut out to keep her from revealing secrets to the French. Protective of women and children, she is shown as the Black Madonna of Częstochowa. She is also identified with lesbians. I find her fierce rage to be both a call to feminist action and a warning: we can often let the fire consume us. By holding a child, she shows me that there are always others who must come first in our lives, a way to ensure that we keep ourselves in check.
About the author
Alicia Cole lives with a photographer and a bevy of animals. Over their house, egrets and great blue herons fly. She has a penchant for birding, blackberries, and walking through brambles. Her poetry may be found in The Cascadia Subduction Zone, Eclectica Magazine, and ariadne merione and forthcoming in Loose Leaf Tea. She has a non-fiction review forthcoming in Bitch Magazine. You can learn more about her work here.