Vol 1 No 2 2007
Hegemony
I spend my class on The Color Purple
discussing Shug. How she shares sex
with Celie and Mr, not thinking it wrong
to love whomever she loves. Students ask
if she’s a lesbian. I reply she’s a goddess:
Shug Avery never chooses sides.
You call and talk thirty minutes about
hegemonic untruth in bisexual narratives.
Too Southern to say, Those words sound empty.
I hold the receiver, chastised for not seeing
the straight woman in drag. You
name her evil and repressed.
You make me feel as if some boy just yelled
stupid bitch because I slammed his car door
or burned his popcorn. I could tell you
about those relationships, again. But not
tonight. I open the fridge for Sierra Nevada
and leave you inside, lecturing eggs.
Chella Courington