Tishie: How did you first come to writing?

Leticia: Things got too big inside and it was the only way to get at the bigness … I was explodin’. Always it was like that — not a poem or a story but a thought — maybe one thing too for my insides to carry … kid stuff … journal stuff … not worth mentioning. So the writing came from a need to get at the stuff inside … if I had more nerve it would’ve been a knife carved through my skin … you know like the folks do let out some of the pain inside?

Tishie: No I don’t. I don’t believe in self-mutilation … I don’t believe in solving problems through any kind of violence — in fact I don’t believe in violence.

Leticia: Exactly. That’s you and thank you.

Tishie: When did you consider yourself to be a poet?

Leticia: I prefer to be said I am a writer.

Tishie: Well I don’t see why you don’t want to be said you are a poet — you’ve always wanted to be part of the in crowd and now it’s very popular to be a poet.

Leticia: No that’s you … wantin’ to be in the “in crowd.” I don’t give a fuck about the “in crowd.”

Long pause as they both stare at each other

Tishie: Ok — writer … when did you consider yourself a writer?

Leticia: Well — a long time ago MTV had this show — poetry unplugged or something like that and it didn’t make me feel any kind of way until I heard that one of the people on it met Prince cause he saw her on it and flew her to his castle. And I remember that day: I was sittin at this burrito joint in the east village and this friend of mine had offered me a cigarette — that was when I smoked sometimes and that was when if you did smoke you could light up wherever you wanted to … anyway I declined the cigarette and we were talkin about such ‘n such … still tryin to figure out my purpose … I think the sun was out … our food came and right when I was about to chow down … I mean I had sliced into that bean cheese lettuce guacamole thing … my fork had taken up the first bite — almost to my lips and then she told me that this girl had been on MTV and Prince had called her and now they were workin together … I put my fork down, asked her for a cigarette — waved the waiter/waitress back over — asked them to wrap up my food — ordered a mountainous margarita …

Tishie: So let me get this straight — you declared yourself a writer because you heard a poet had met Prince based on her poem?

Leticia: Benny’s Burrito — it’s in the village. At the time they made real good margaritas. At the time I really liked Prince. To hear somebody had met Prince cause she claimed her self when I was tryin’ to figure out my purpose …

Long pause as they both stare at each other

Leticia: You know for somebody that supposed to be me — you really don’t act like me or at least you don’t understand like me …

Tishie: Based on what you said earlier — I would think that would influence you to not declare yourself a poet — I mean writer.

Leticia: See you didn’t hear me — the fact that people were on MTV didn’t sway me — I wasn’t interested in that. See that’s part of the in crowd … somebody writing something so that they could be on MTV … that’s not being an artist … it was the fact that something somebody wrote had the power to influence Prince like that … somebody who didn’t have music behind the words … no song … just words … I’m interested in power … that’s interesting to me …

Tishie: But the in crowd is the popular crowd …

Leticia: Well yes — there is an in crowd that has power but there also is power that is not part of the in crowd — quiet power … the power in writing something personal and it ends up being the universe.

Tishie: Can we take a break — I must take some aspirin … or go lay down a bit …

Leticia: Ya know my momma says the same thang … but that’s when she calls me Tishie … she says: Ooo Tishie — you just gave me a bad headache I gotta go lay down some …

from Wild Like That Good Stuff Smellin Strong