Mama C and the Boys: the audience...

loved it.

i had an amazing reading.

wish you all had been there.

sammy was wide-eyed from the 6th row

marcel, as if on cue screeches MAMA in an otherwise silent room of over 300.

perfect.

Back and Black Story

We are a family of three. We came together through domestic infant adoption, when Sam, my oldest was one day old, nearly five years ago. We have an open adoption with his birth mother, who I do not refer to by name here. She is African American. So is he. I am white.

We also came together through donor assisted conception. The donor I chose was African American- he looked like Sam as a child. Marcel is biracial and was conceived on the first try.

Soon after I gave birth I remember thinking how proud the birth mother would be of how much weight Marcel was gaining. Then I remembered that I was the birth mother.

I chose to bring both of my children into my life as a single parent. Our family and friendship support network is invincible and omni-present. My oldest brother, referred to here as Uncle, lives in our basement apartment.

This blog is devoted to issues of transracial adoptive parenting, racial awareness, story telling, and self observation.

I write about our bravos and our blunders believing that they might serve some greater purpose then just me banging my head against the wall saying, what were you thinking?! Comments welcome here or at mamacandtheboys@gmail.com

Black Enough

I can't wait to tell you Sam,
that when you were just two
one of my very black students asked me
why I went
all the way to North Carolina
to have you.

I can't wait to describe to you the look
on that student's face
when I told him
that I didn't have you
like his mom had him,
but that your birthmother
placed you in my arms
in the hospital in North Carolina
on Christmas Eve
as she smiled bravely and
kissed you.

Oh. What? He asked. And then,
It's not that I thought you were black black
he proclaimed.
But I thought you were black enough to have him.

Black Enough.
Black enough?
True I wondered if I was black enough
to walk through the door of Cordell's barber shop
that first time six months ago
to get your black and curly hair
cut properly, what would they think of me?

And I can tell you that I am just
black enough to keep walking in that door,
where all the men
in that barber shop,
who have never asked me my name
Call you by yours-
Hey Sammy my man-
and What's up boss?
They ask you
as you strut
right
up
to Cordell's chair to demand
a lol-i-pop
for a line-it-up
and black enough to notice
as they stare at me
and stare at me
as if by looking
just a little longer
I might become
black enough to them too.

Black enough to notice that
now I own
many more brown and black sweaters and shirts
and brown corduroys
too
because I must want you to think I
am a little more black
and a little more like you

Black enough Sam
to know
that I'll never be black enough
and because of that
I must never forget
that you
are.

May 2007
Mama C

Mama C and the Boys

Thursday, April 30, 2009

the audience...

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Back and Black Story

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Mama C and the Boys

Thursday, April 30, 2009

the audience...

No comments:

Back and Black Story

Labels

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Search This Blog

Followers

Sam and Marcel's Most Requested Titles (12/09)

Blog Archive

our e

Books of Note Reviewed on this blog

Mama C In Print

Black Enough

My Blog List

Our Family is Helping Another-I'm Sharing this lInk:

About Me

hit counter