Helped are those who are content to be themselves; they will never lack mystery in their lives and the joys of self-discovery will be constant.

I feel a little peculiar around the children. For one thing, they grown. And I see they think me and Nettie and Shug and Albert and Samuel and Harpo and Sofia and Jack and Odessa real old and don't know much what going on. But I don't think us feel old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt.

How anyone cannot see that Nature is God is amazing to me: that they'd rather worship something that can only exist, really, in their own minds.

I feel that the ancestors are that covering that will cover me. I feel like I can only be enveloped in them spiritually and physically.

Only dead people need loud music, you know.

I just like to have words that describe things correctly. Now to me, 'black feminist' does not do that. I need a word that is organic, that really comes out of the culture, that really expresses the spirit that we see in black women. And it's just... womanish.

Drew Dellinger is a deep and courageous poet. How lucky we are!