Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde, the daughter of Grenadian parents, was born on February 18, 1934 in Harlem, New York, where she was raised. Writing poems by the age of 12, she attended Hunter College High School, a school for gifted

Coal

by Audre Lorde (1934–92)

1<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
2<author>
3  <person id="7251" sex="2" role="author">
4    <name>
5      <firstname>Audre</firstname>
6      <lastname>Lorde</lastname>
7    </name>
8    <life-events>
9      <date ty="birth" circa="false" suffix="ad">1934</date>
10      <date ty="death" circa="false" suffix="ad">1992</date>
11      <text-value>(1934–92)</text-value>
12    </life-events>
13    <biography>y</biography>
14  </person>
15</author>
16

Is the total black, being spoken

From the earth's inside.

There are many kinds of open.

How a diamond comes into a knot of flame

How a sound comes into a word, coloured

By who pays what for speaking.

Some words are open

Like a diamond on glass windows

Click here for complete poem