But ban alive & ban a woman & ban colored is a metaphysical dilemma/ i haven't conquered yet/ do you see the pointy spirit is too ancient to understand the separation of soul & gender/ my love is too delicate to have thrown back on my face my love is too delicate to have thrown back on my face my love is too beautiful to have thrown back on my face my love is too sanctified to have thrown back on my face my love is too magic to have thrown back on my face my love is too Saturday night to have thrown back on my face my love is too complicated to have thrown back on my face my love is too music to have thrown back on my face

— Ntozake Shange

Ever since I realized there was someone call/ a colored girl an evil woman a bitch or a nag/ i have been train not to be that & leave bitterness/ in somebody else's cup...

— Ntozake Shange

I am really colored & really sad sometimes & you hurt memory than I ever danced out of/ i am ready to die like a lily in the desert/ & i cent let you in on it because i didn't know/ Paris what I have/ poems/ big thighs/ lilt its/ so much love/ will you take it from me this one time/ please this is for you

— Ntozake Shange

I found god in myself and I loved her loved her fiercely

— Ntozake Shange

I found god in myself I loved her/ i loved her fiercely

— Ntozake Shange

I'm done forgot all about word saint got no definitions

— Ntozake Shange

I'm only human, & inadequacy is what makes us human, & if we are perfect we went have nothing to strive for, so you might as well go on & forgive me pretty baby, because I'm sorry

— Ntozake Shange

I started writing because there's an absence of things I was familiar with or that I dreamed about. One of my senses of anger is related to this vacancy - a yearning I had as a teenager... and when I get ready to write, I think I'm trying to fill that.

— Ntozake Shange

One thing I don’t needs anymore apologies got sorry greeting me at my front door you can keep RSI don’t know what to do wit em they don’t open doors or bring the sun back they don’t make me happy or get a morning paper didn’t nobody stop using my tears to wash cars a sorry.

— Ntozake Shange

Our society allows people to be absolutely neurotic and totally out of touch with their feelings and everyone else's feelings and yet be very respectable.

— Ntozake Shange