Another Tangent

Abstract

Another Tangent Doris Devenport (bio) And here you come againwanting to know factsand statistics and unconnectedhow and whys. I knowmore than you know to ask.For the last time, inthe only language you can understand;this is the last time, now, I’m telling you. This is a Hurston. Mainly.You keep thinking about Richard WrightYou want to know aboutsociology and all those otherways of not-knowing &acting like you do. You bettergo study some hoodoo. You needto know something about conjure. &love potions. & Zora Neale Hurston. What difference do it make, any un-coloredpeople on the hill, in the town?They stayed—and here’s a word you’ll like—tangential. Just like your questions.What difference (yeah, what difference)do it make—the hill was“segregated”? I’m telling you the place was boundby its own laws. And nobody elsecould touch them—they too wild for that. Even in Fred’s Tavern, afew non-coloreds sat on the side.They even knew what you can’t seem to know: theyain’t in this story. They just don’t count. [End Page 55] Doris Devenport Doris Davenport grew up in Cornelia, Georgia, in the Appalachian foothills. She has taught and performed nationwide and currently is an Associate Professor of English at Albany State University in her home state. She has published book reviews, articles, essays, and six books of poetry, including madness like morning glories (LSU Press, 2005) and a hunger for moonlight (self-published, 2006). Copyright © 2008 Berea College