Dutchman

AmiriBaraka 1964 CHARACTERS CLAY,twentyyearoldNegro LULA,thirtyyearoldwhitewoman RIDERSOFCOACH,whiteandblackYOUNGNEGRO CONDUCTOR IntheflyingunderbellyofthecitySteaminghot,andsummerontop,outside.Underground.Thesubwayheaped inmodernmyth. Openingscene is amansittinginasubwayseat,holdingamagazinebutlookingvacantlyjustaboveitswilting pages. Occasionally he looks blankly toward the window on his right. Dim lights and darkness whistling by againsttheglass.(Orpastethelights,asadmittedprops,rightonthesubwaywindows.Havethemmove,even dimandflicker.Butgivethesenseofspeed.Alsostations,whetherthetrain is stopped or theglitterandactivity ofthesestationsmerelyflashesbythewindows.) Themanissittingalone.Thatis,onlyhisseatisvisible,thoughtherestofthecarisoutfittedasacomplete subwaycar.Butonlyhisseatisshown.Theremightbe,foratime,astheplaybegins,aloudscreamoftheactual train.Anditcanrecurthroughouttheplay,orcontinueonalowerkeyoncethedialoguestarts. Thetrainslawsafteratime,pullingtoabriefstopatoneofthestations.Themanlooksidlyup,untilheseesa woman'sfacestaringathimthroughthewindow;whenitrealizesthatthemanhasnoticedtheface,itbegins verypremeditatedlytosmile.Themansmilestoo,foramoment,withoutatraceofselfconsciousness.Almostan instinctivethoughundesirableresponse.Thenakindofawkwardnessorembarrassmentsetsin,andtheman makestolookaway,isfurtherembarrassed,sohebringsbackhiseyestowherethefacewas,butbynawthe trainismovingagain,andthefacewouldseemtobeleftbehindbythewaythemanturnshisheadtolookback throughtheotherwindowsattheslowlyfadingplatform.Hesmilesthen;morecomfortablyconfident,hoping perhapsthathismemoryofthisbriefencounterwillbepleasant.Andthenheisidleagain. SceneI Trainroars.Lightsflashoutsidethewindows. LULA entersfromtherearofthecarinbright,skimpysummerclothesandsandals.Shecarriesanetbag fullofpaperbooks,fruit,andotheranonymousarticles.She is wearingsunglasses,whichshepushesupon her forehead from time to time. LULA is a tall, slender, beautiful woman with long red hair hanging straight down her back, wearing only loud lipstick in some body's good taste. She is eating an apple, very daintily. Coming down the car toward CLAY. She stops beside CLAY'S seat and hangs languidly from the strap,stillmanagingtoeattheapple.It is apparentthatshe is goingtositintheseatnextto CLAY, and thatsheisonlywaitingforhimtonoticeherbeforeshesits. CLAYsitsasbefore,lookingjustbeyondhismagazine,nowandagainpullingthemagazineslowlybackand forthinfrontofhisfaceinahopelessefforttofanhimself.Thenheseesthewomanhangingtherebeside himandhelooksupintoherface,smilingquizzically. LULAHello. CLAYUh,hi'reyou?

LULAI'mgoingtositdown....O.K.? CLAYSure. LULA[Swingsdownontotheseat,pushing'herlegsstraightoutasifsheisveryweary]Oooof!Toomuch weight. CLAYHa,doesn'tlooklikemuchtome.[Leaningbackagainstthewindow,alittlesurprisedandmaybestiff] LULAIt'ssoanyway.[Andshemoveshertoesinthesandals,thenpullsherrightlegupontheleftknee,betterto inspect the bottoms of the sandals and the back of her heel. She appears for a second not to notice that CLAYis sittingnexttoheror thatshehasspokentohimjustasecondbefore.CLAYlooksatthemagazine, thenouttheblackwindow. As hedoesthis,sheturnsveryquicklytowardhim] Weren'tyoustaringatme throughthewindow? CLAY[Wheelingaroundandverymuchstiffened]What? LULAWeren'tyoustaringatmethroughthewindow?Atthelaststop? CLAYStaringatyou?Whatdoyoumean? LULADon'tyouknowwhatstaringmeans? CLAYIsawyouthroughthewindow...ifthat'swhatitmeans.Idon'tknowifIwasstaring.Seemstomeyou werestaringthroughthewindowatme. LULAIwas.ButonlyafterI'dturnedaroundandsawyoustaringthroughthatwindowdowninthevicinityof myassandlegs. CLAYReally? LULAReally.Iguessyouwerejusttakingthoseidlepotshots.Nothingelsetodo.Runyourmindoverpeople's flesh. CLAYOhboy.Wow,nowIadmitIwaslookinginyourdirection.Buttherestofthatweightisyours. LULAIsuppose. CLAYStaringthroughtrainwindowsisweirdbusiness.Muchweirderthanstaringverysedatelyatabstract asses. LULAThat'swhyIcamelookingthroughthewindow...soyou'dhavemorethanthattogoon.Ievensmiled atyou. CLAYThat'sright. LULAIevengotintothistrain,goingsomeotherwaythanmine.Walkeddowntheaisle...searchingyouout. CLAYReally?That'sprettyfunny. LULAThat'sprettyfunny:"..:.God,you'redull. CLAYWell,I'msorry,lady,butIreallywasn'tpreparedforpartytalk. LULANo,you'renot.Whatareyoupreparedfor?[WrappingtheapplecoreinaKleenexanddroppingitonthe floor] CLAY[Takesherconversationaspuresextalk.Heturnstoconfronthersquarelywiththisidea]I'mpreparedfor anything.Howaboutyou? LULA[Laughingloudlyandcuttingitoffabruptly]Whatdoyouthinkyou'redoing? CLAYWhat? LULAYouthinkIwanttopickyouup,getyoutotakemesomewhereandscrewme,huh? CLAYIsthatthewayIlook? LULAYoulooklikeyoubeentryingtogrowabeard.That'sexactlywhatyoulooklike.Youlooklikeyoulive inNewJerseywithyourparentsandaretryingtogrowabeard.That'swhat.Youlooklikeyou'vebeen readingChinesepoetryanddrinkinglukewarmsugarlesstea.[Laughs,uncrossingandrecrossingher legs]Youlooklikedeatheatingasodacracker. CLAY [Cockinghisheadfromonesidetotheother,embarrassedandtryingtomakesomecomeback,butalso intriguedbywhatthewoman is saying..eventhesharpcitycoarsenessofhervoice,which is stillakindof gentlesidewalkthrob]Really?Ilooklikeallthat? LULANotallofit.[Shefeintsaseriousnesstocoveranactualsombertone]Iliealot.[Smiling]Ithelpsme controltheworld. CLAY[Relievedandlaughinglouderthanthehumor]Yeah,Ibet. LULAButit'strue,mostofit,right?Jersey?Yourbumpyneck? CLAYHow'dyouknowallthat?Huh?Really,ImeanaboutJersey...andeventhebeard.Imetyoubefore?You knowWarrenEnright? LULAYoutriedtomakeitwithyoursisterwhenyouwereten.[CLAYleansbackhardagainstthebackofthe seat,hiseyesopeningnow,stilltryingtolookamused]ButIsucceededafewweeksago.[Shestartsto

laughagain]CLAYWhat'reyoutalkingabout?Warrentellyouthat?You'reafriendof Georgia's? LULAItoldyouIlie.Idon'tknowyoursister.Idon'tknowWarrenEnright. CLAYYoumeanyou'rejustpickingthesethingsoutoftheair? LULAIsWarrenEnrightatallskinnyblackblackboywithaphonyEnglishaccent? CLAYIfiguredyouknewhim. LULAButIdon't.Ijustfiguredyouwouldknowsomebodylikethat.[Laughs] CLAYYeah,yeah. LULAYou'reprobablyonyourwaytohishousenow. CLAYThat'sright. LULA[PuttingherhandonCLAY'Sclosestknee,drawingitfromthekneeuptothethigh'shinge,thenremoving it,watchinghisfaceveryclosely,andcontinuingtolaugh,perhapsmoregentlythanbefore]Dull,dull,dull. IbetyouthinkI'mexciting. CLAYYou'reO.K. LULAAmIexcitingyounow? CLAYRight.That'snotwhat'ssupposedtohappen? LULAHowdoIknow?[Shereturnsherhand,withoutmovingit,thentakesitawayandplungesitinherbagto drawoutanapple]Youwantthis? CLAYSure. LULA[Shegetsoneoutofthebagforherself]Eatingapplestogetherisalwaysthefirststep.Orwalkingup uninhabitedSeventhAvenueinthetwenties2onweekends.[Bitesandgiggles,glancingatClayand speakinginloosesingsong]Cangetyouinvolved...boy!Getusinvolved.Umhuh.[Mockseriousness] Wouldyouliketogetinvolvedwithme,MisterMan? CLAY[TryingtobeasflippantasLULA,whackinghappilyattheapple]Sure.Whynot?Abeautifulwoman likeyou.Huh,I'dbeafoolnotto. LULAAndIbetyou'resureyouknowwhatyou'retalkingabout.[Takinghimalittleroughlybythewrist,sohe cannoteattheapple,thenshakingthewrist]Ibetyou'resureofalmosteverythinganybodyeverasked youabout...right?[Shakeshiswristharder]Right? CLAYYeah,right....Wow,you'reprettystrong,youknow?Whattayou,aladywrestlerorsomething? LULA What's wrong with lady wrestlers? And don't answer because you never knew any. Huh. [Cynically] That'sforsure.Theydon'thaveanyladywrestlersinthatpartofJersey.That'sforsure. CLAYHey,youstillhaven'ttoldmehowyouknowsomuchaboutme. LULAItoldyouIdidn'tknowanythingaboutyou...you'reawellknowntype. CLAYReally? LULAOratleastIknowthetypeverywell.AndyourskinnyEnglishfriendtoo. CLAYAnonymously? LULA[Settlesbackinseat,singlemindedlyfinishingherappleandhummingsnatchesofrhythmandblues song]What? CLAYWithoutknowingusspecifically? LULAOhboy.[LookingquicklyatCLAY]Whataface.Youknow,youcouldbeahandsomeman. CLAYIcan'targuewithyou. LULA[Vague,offcenterresponse]What? CLAY[Raisinghisvoice,thinkingthetrainnoisehasdrownedpartofhissentence]Ican'targuewithyou. LULAMyhairisturninggray.AgrayhairforeachyearandtypeI'vecomethrough. CLAYWhydoyouwanttosoundsoold? LULAButit'salwaysgentlewhenitstarts.[Attentiondrifting]Huggedagainsttenements,dayornight. CLAYWhat? LULA[Refocusing]Hey,whydon'tyoutakemetothatpartyyou'regoingto? CLAYYoumustbeafriendofWarren'stoknowabouttheparty. LULAWouldn'tyouliketotakemetotheparty?[Imitatesclingingvine].Oh,comeon,askmetoyourparty. CLAYOfcourseI'llaskyoutocomewithmetotheparty.AndI'llbetyou'reafriendofWarren's. LULAWhynotbeafriendofWarren's?Whynot?[Takinghisarm]Haveyouaskedmeyet? CLAYHowcanIaskyouwhenIdon'tknowyourname? LULAAreyoutalkingtomyname? CLAYWhatisit,asecret?

LULAI'mLenatheHyena. CLAYThefamouswomanpoet? LULAPoetess!Thesame! CLAYWell,youknowsomuchaboutme...what'smyname? LULAMorristheHyena. CLAYThefamouswomanpoet? LULAThesame.[Laughingandgoingintoherbag]Youwantanotherapple? CLAYCan'tmakeit,lady.Ionlyhavetokeeponedoctorawayaday. LULAIbetyournameis...somethinglike...uh,GeraldorWalter.Huh? CLAYGod,no. LULALloyd,Norman?OneofthosehopelesscolorednamescreepingoutofNewJerseyLeonard?Gag.... CLAYLikeWarren? LULAwDefinitely.JustexactlylikeWarren.OrEverett.3 CLAYGag... LULAWell,forsure,it'snotWillie. CLAYItsClay. LULAClay?Really?Claywhat? CLAYTakeyourpick.Jackson,Johnson,orWilliams. LULAOh,really?Goodforyou.Butit'sgottobeWilliams.You'retoopretentioustobeaJacksonorJohnson. CLAYThassright. LULAButClay'sO.K. CLAYSo'sLena. LULAIt'sLula. CLAYOh? LULALulatheHyena. CLAYVerygood. LULA[Startslaughingagain]Nowyousaytome,"Lula,Lula,whydon'tyougotothispartywithmetonight?" It'syourturn,andletthosebeyourlines. CLAYLula,whydon'tyougotothispartywithmetonight,Huh? LULASaymynametwicebeforeyouask,andnohuh's. CLAYLula,Lula,whydon'tyougotothispartywithmetonight? LULAI'dliketogo,Clay,buthowcanyouaskmetogowhenyoubarelyknowme? CLAYThatisstrange,isn'tit? LULAWhatkindofreactionisthat?You'resupposedtosay,"Aw,comeon,we'llgettoknoweachotherbetter attheparty." CLAYThat'sprettycorny. LULAWhatareyouintoanyway?[Lookingathimhalfsullenlybutstillamused]Whatthingareyouplayingat, Mister?MisterClayWilliams?[Grabshisthigh,upnearthecrotch]Whatareyouthinkingabout? CLAYWatchitnow,you'regonnaexcitemeforreal. LULA[Takingherhandawayandthrowingherapplecorethroughthewindow]Ibet.[Sheslumpsintheseat andisheavilysilent] CLAYIthoughtyoukneweverythingaboutme?Whathappened?[LULAlooksathim,thenlooksslowlyaway, thenoverwhere.theotheraislewouldbe.Noiseofthetrain.Shereachesinherbagandpullsoutoneofthe paperbooks.Sheputsitonherlegandthumbsthepageslistlessly.CLAYcockshisheadtoseethetitleof thebook.Noiseofthetrain.LULAflipspagesandhereyesdrift.Bothremainsilent]Areyougoingtothe partywithme,Lula? . LULA[Boredandnotevenlooking]Idon'tevenknowyou.. CLAYYousaidyouknowmytype. LULA[Strangelyirritated]Don'tgetsmartwithme,Buster.Iknowyoulikethepalmofmyhand. CLAYTheoneyoueattheappleswith? LULAYeh.AndtheoneIopendoorslateSaturdayeveningwith.That'smydoor.Upatthetopofthestairs. Fiveflights.AbovealotofItalians.andlyingAmericans.Andscrapecarrotswith:Also.[Looksathim] thesamehandIunbuttonmydresswith,orletmyskirtfalldown.Samehand.Lover. CLAYAreyouangryaboutanything?DidIsaysomethingwrong? LULAEverythingyousayiswrong. [Mocksmile] That'swhatmakesyousoattractive.Ha.Inthatfunnybook

jacketwithallthebuttons. [Moreanimate,takingholdofhisjacket] What'veyougotthatjacketandtie on in all this heat for? And why're you wearing a jacket and tie like that? Did your people ever burn witches or start revolutions over the price of tea? Boy, those narrowshoulder clothes come from a tradition you ought to feel oppressed by. A threebutton suit. What right do you have to be wearing a threebuttonsuitandstripedtie?Yourgrandfatherwasaslave,hedidn'tgotoHarvard. CLAYMygrandfatherwasanightwatchman. ~ LULAAndyouwenttoacoloredcollegewhereeverybodythoughttheywereAverellHarriman. CLAYAllexceptme. LULAAndwhodidyouthinkyouwere?Whodoyouthinkyouarenow? CLAY [Laughs as if to make light of the whole trend of the conversation] Well, in college I thought I was Baudelaire.ButI'vesloweddownsince. LULAIbetyouneveroncethoughtyouwereablacknigger.[Mockserious,thenshehowlswithlaughter.CLAY isstunnedbutafterinitialreaction,hequicklytriestoappreciatethehumor.LULAalmostshrieks] Ablack Baudelaire. CLAYThat'sright. LULABoy,areyoucorny.ItakebackwhatIsaidbefore.everythingyousayisnotwrong.It'sperfect.You shouldbeontelevision. CLAYYouactlikeyou'reontelevisionalready. LULAThat'sbecauseI'manactress. CLAYIthoughtso. LULAWell,you'rewrong.I'mnoactress.ItoldyouIalwayslie.I'mnothing,honey,anddon'tyoueverforget it. [Lighter] Although my mother was a Communist. The only person in my family ever to amount to anything. CLAYMymotherwasaRepublican. LULAAndyourfathervotedforthemanratherthantheparty. CLAYRight! LULAYeaforhim.Yea,yeaforhim. CLAYYea! LULAAndyeaforAmericawhereheisfreetovoteforthemediocrityofhischoice!Yea! CLAYYea! LULAAndyeaforbothyourparentswhoeventhoughtheydifferaboutsocrucialamatterasthebodypolitic stillforgedaunionofloveandsacrificethatwasdestinedtofloweratthebirthofthenobleClay... what'syourmiddlename? CLAYClay. LULAAunionofloveandsacrificethatwasdestinedtofloweratthebirthofthenobleClayClayWilliams. Yea!Andmostofallyeayeaforyou,Clay,Clay.TheBlackBaudelaire!Yes![Andwithknifelikecynicism]My Christ.MyChrist. CLAYThankyou,ma'am. LULAThepeopleacceptyouasaghostofthefuture.Andloveyou,thatyoumightnotkillthemwhenyou can. CLAYWhat? LULAYoureamurderer,Clay,andyouknowit.[Hervoicedarkeningwithsignificance] Youknowgoddamn wellwhatImean. CLAYIdo? LULASowellpretendtheairislightandfullofperfume. CLAY[Sniffingatherblouse]Itis. LULAAndwellpretendthatpeoplecannotseeyou.Thatis,thecitizens.Andthatyouarefreeofyourown history.AndIamfreeofmyhistory.Wellpretendthatwearebothanonymousbeautiessmashingalong throughthecitysentrails[Sheyellsasloudasshecan]GROOVE! [Black]

SceneII Scene is thesameasbefore,thoughnowthereareotherseatsvisibleinthecar.Andthroughoutthesceneother peoplegetonthesubway.Therearemaybeoneortwoseatedinthecarasthesceneopens,thoughneitherCLAY norLULAnoticesthem.CLAY'Stieisopen.LULAishugginghisarm. CLAYTheparty! ' LULAIknowit'llbesomethinggood.Youcancomeinwithme,lookingcasualandsignificant.I'llbestrange, haughty,andsilent,andwalkwithlongslowstrides. CLAYRight. LULA.Whenyou.getdrunk,patmeonceverylovinglyontheflanks,andI'lllookatyoucrypticallylickingmy lips. CLAYItsoundslikesomethingwecando. LULAYou'llgoaroundtalkingtoyoungmenaboutyourmind,andtooldmenaboutyourplans:,.Ifyoumeet averyclosefriendwhoisalsowithsomeonelikeme,wecanstandtogether,sippingourdrinksand exchangingcodesoflust.Theatmospherewillbeslitheringinloveandhalfloveandveryopen moraldecision. CLAYGreat.Great. LULAAndeveryonewillpretendtheydon'tknowyourname,andthen...[Shepausesheavily]later,when theyhaveto,they'llclaimafriendshipthatdeniesyoursterlingcharacter. CLAY[Kissingherneckandfingers]Andthenwhat? LULAThen?Well,thenwe'llgodownthestreet,latenight,eatingapplesandwindingverydeliberately towardmyhouse. CLAYDeliberately? LULAImean,we'lllookinalltheshopwindows,andmakefunofthequeers.Maybewe'llmeetaJewish Buddhistandflattenhisconceitsoversomeverypretentiouscoffee. CLAYInhonorofwhoseGod? LULAMine. CLAYWhois...? LULAMe...andyou? CLAYAcorporateGodhead. , LULAExactly.Exactly.[Noticesoneoftheotherpeopleentering] CLAYGoonwiththechronicle.Thenwhathappenstous? LULA[Amilddepression,butshestillmakesherdescriptiontriumphantandincreasinglydirect]Tomyhouse, ofcourse. CLAYOfcourse. LlJLAAndupthenarrowstepsofthetenement. CLAYYouliveinatenement? LULAWouldn'tliveanywhereelse.Remindsmespecificallyofmynovelformofinsanity. .. CLAYUpthetenementstairs. LULAAndwithmyappleeatinghandIpushopenthedoorandleadyou,mytenderbigeyedprey,into my...God,whatcanIcallit...intomyhovel. CLAYThenwhathappens? LULAAfterthedancingandgames,afterthelongdrinksandlongwalks,therealfunbegins. CLAYAh,therealfun.[Embarrassed,inspiteofhimselfJWhichis...?LULA[Laughsathim]Realfuninthe darkhouse.Hah!Realfuninthedarkhouse,highupabovethestreetandtheignorantcowboys.I leadyouin,holdingyourwethandgentlyinmyhand... CLAYWhichisnotwet? LULAWhichisdryasashes. CLAYAndcold? LULADon'tthinkyou'llgetoutofyourresponsibilitythatway.It'snotcoldatall.YouFascist!Intomy darklivingroom.Wherewe'llsitandtalkendlessly,endlessly. CLAYAboutwhat?

LULAAboutwhat?Aboutyourmanhood,whatdoyouthink?Whatdoyouthinkwevebeentalkingaboutall thistime? CLAYWell,Ididn'tknowitwasthat.That'sforsure.Everyotherthingintheworldbutthat.[Notices anotherpersonentering,looksquickly,almostinvoluntarilyupanddownthecar,seeingtheotherpeoplein thecar]Hey,Ididn'tevennoticewhenthosepeoplegot LULAYeah,Iknow. CLAYMan,thissubwayisslow. LULAYeah,Iknow. CLAYWell,goon.Weweretalkingaboutmymanhood. LULAWestillare.Allthetime. CLAYWewereinyourlivingroom. LULAMydarklivingroom.Talkingendlessly. CLAYAboutmymanhood.. LULAI'llmakeyouamapofit.Justassoonaswegettomyhouse. CLAYWell,that'sgreat. LULAOneofthethingswedowhilewetalk.Andscrew. CLAY[Tryingtomakehissmilebroaderandlessshaky]'Wefinallygotthere. LULAAndyou'llcallmyroomsblackasagrave.You'llsay,"ThisplaceislikeJuliet'stomb. CLAY[Laughs]Imight. LULAIknow.You'veprobablysaiditbefore. CLAYAndisthatall?Thewholegrandtour? LULANotall.You'llsaytomeveryclosetomyface,manymanytimes,you'llsay,evenwhisper,thatyoulove me. CLAYMaybeIwill. LULAAndyou'llbelying. CLAYIwouldn'tlieaboutsomethinglikethat. LULAHah.It'stheonlykindofthingyouwilllieabout.Especiallyifyouthinkit'llkeepmealive. CLAYKeepyoualive?Idon'tunderstand. .'<'" LULA[Burstingoutlaughing,buttooshrill]Don'tunderstand?Well,don'tlookatme.It'sthepathItake,that's all.WherebothfeettakemewhenIsetthemdown.Oneinfrontoftheother. CLAYMorbid.Morbid.Yousureyou'renotanactress?Allthatselfaggrandizement. LULAWell,ItoldyouIwasn'tanactress...butIalsotoldyouIlieallthetime.Drawyourownconclusions. CLAYMorbid.Morbid.Yousureyou'renotanactress?Allscribed?There'snomore? LULAI'vetoldyouallIknow.Oralmostall. CLAYThere'snofunnyparts? LULAIthoughtitwasallfunny. CLAYButyoumeanpeculiar,nothaha. LULAYoudon'tknowwhatImean. CLAYWell,tellmethealmostpartthen.Yousaidalmostall.Whatelse?Iwantthewholestory. . LULA[Searchingaimlesslythroughherbag.Shebeginstotalkbreathlessly,withalightandsillytone]All storiesarewholestories.Allof'em.Ourwholestory...nothingbutchange.Howcouldthingsgoonlike thatforever?Huh?[Slapshimontheshoulder,beginsfindingthingsinherbag,takingthemoutand throwingthemoverhershoulderintotheaisle]ExceptIdogoonasIdo.Applesandlongwalkswith deathlessintelligentlovers.Butyoumixitup.Lookoutthewindow,allthetime.Turningpages.Change changechange.Till,shit,Idon'tknowyou.Wouldn't,forthatmatter.You'retooserious.Ibetyou're eventooserioustobepsychoanalyzed.LikeallthoseJewishpoetsfromYonkers,wholeavetheir motherslookingforothermothers,orothers'mothers,onwhosebaggytitstheylaytheirfumbling heads.Theirpoemsarealwaysfunny,andallaboutsex. CLAYTheysoundgreat.Likemovies. LULAButyouchange.[Blankly]Andthingsworkonyoutillyouhatethem.[Morepeoplecomeintothe train.Theycomeclosertothecouple,someofthemnotsitting,butswingingdrearilyonthestraps,staring atthetwowithuncertaininterest] CLAYWow.Allthesepeople,sosuddenly.Theymustallcomefromthesameplace. LULARight.Thattheydo. CLAYOh?Youknowaboutthemtoo?

yeah.AboutthemmorethanIknowaboutyou.Dotheyfrightenyou? CLAYFrightenme?Whyshouldtheyfrightenme? LULA'Causeyou'reanescapednigger. CLAYYeah? LULA'Causeyoucrawledthroughthewireandmadetrackstomyside. CLAYWire? LULADon'ttheyhavewirearoundplantations? CLAYYoumustbeJewish.Allyoucanthinkaboutiswire.Plantationsdidn'thaveanywire.Plantations werebigopenwhitewashedplaceslikeheaven,andeverybodyon'emwasgroovedtobethere.Just strummin'andhummin'allday. LULAYes,yes. CLAYAndthat'showtheblueswasborn. LULAYes,yes.Andthat'showtheblueswasborn.[Beginstomakeupasongthatbecomesquickly hysterical.Asshesingssherisesfromherseat,stillthrowingthingsoutofherbagintotheaisle,beginninga rhythmicalshudderandtwistlikewiggle,whichshecontinuesupanddowntheaisle,bumpingintomanyof thestandingpeopleandtrippingoverthefeetofthosesitting.Eachtimesherunsintoapersonsheletsout averyviciouspieceofprofanity,wigglingandsteppingallthetime]Andthat'showtheblueswasborn. Yes.Yes.Sonofabitch,getoutoftheway.Yes.Quack.Yes.Yes.Andthat'showtheblueswasborn. Tenlittleniggerssittingonalimb,butnoneofthemeverlookedlikehim.[PointstoCLAY,returns towardtheseat,withherhandsextendedforhimtoriseanddancewithher]Andthat'showblueswas born.Yes.Comeon,Clay.Let'sdothenasty.Rubbellies.Rubbellies. . CLAY [Waveshishandstorefuse.He is embarrassed,butdeterminedtogetakickoutoftheproceedings] Hey, what was in those apples? Mirror, mirror on the wall", who's the fairest one of all? Snow White, baby,anddontyouforgetit. LULA[Grabbingforhishands,whichhedrawsaway]Comeon,Clay.Let'srubbelliesonthetrain.Thenasty. Thenasty.Dothegrittygrind,likeyouroldragheadmammy.Grindtillyouloseyourmind.Shake it,shakeit,shakeit,shakeit!OOOOweeee!Comeon,Clay.Let'sdothechoochootrainshuffle,the navelscratcher. CLAYHey,youcomingonliketheladywhosmokeduphergrassskirt. QULA[Becomingannoyedthathewillnotdance,andbecomingmoreanimatedasiftoembarrasshimstill further]Comeon,Clay...let'sdothething.Uhh!Uhh!Clay!Clay!Youmiddleclassblackbastard.Forget yoursocialworkingmotherforafewsecondsandlet'sknockstomachs.Clay,youliverlippedwhite man.YouwouldbeChristian.Youain'tnonigger,you'rejustadirtywhiteman.Getup,Clay.Dancewith me,Clay) CLAYLula!Sitdown,now.Becool. LULA[Mockinghim,inwilddance]Becool.Becool.That'sallyouknow...shakingthatwildrootcreamoilon yourknottyhead,jacketsbuttoninguptoyourchin,sofullofwhiteman'swordsChrist,God,Getup', andscreamatthesepeople.Likescreammeaninglessshitinthesehopelessfaces.[Shescreamsatpeople intrain,stilldancing}RedtrainscoughJewishunderwearforkeeps!Expandingsmellsofsilence.Gravy snotwhistlinglikeseabirds.Clay.Clay,yougottobreakout.Don'tsittheredyingthewaytheywantyou todie.Getup. CLAYOh,sitthefuckown.Hemovestorestrainher]Sitdown,goddamnit. LULA[Twistingoutofhisreach]Screwyourself,UncleTom.'ThomasWoollyHead.[Beginstodanceakindof jig,mockingCLAYwithloudJ~r~edhumor]ThereisUncleTom...Imean,UncleThomasWoollyHead. Witholdwhitemattedmane.Hehobblesonhiswoodencane.OldTom.OldTom.Letthewhiteman humphis0I'mama,andhejes'shuffleoffinthewoodsandhidehisgentlegrayhead.0I'ThomasWoolly Head.[Someoftheotherridersarelaughingnaw.ADRUNKgetsupandjoinsLULAinherdance,singing, asbesthecan,her"song."CLAYgetsupoutofhisseatandvisiblyscansthefacesoftheotherriders] CLAYLula!Lula! [She is dancing'andturning,stillshoutingasloudasshecan.The DRUNK too is shouting,and wavinghishandswildly] Lula...youdumbbitch.Whydon'tyoustopit? [Herusheshalfstumblingfromhis seat,andgrabsoneofherflailingarms] LULALetmego!Youblacksonofabitch.[Shestrugglesagainsthim]LetmegotHelp![CLAYisdraggingher towardsherseat,andtheDRUNKseekstointerfere.HegrabsCLAYaroundtheshouldersandbegins wrestlingwithhim.CLAYclubsthedrunktothefloorwithoutreleasingLULA,whoisstillscreaming.CLAY finallygetshertotheseatandthrowsherintoit]

CLAYNowyoushutthehellup.[Grabbinghershoulders}Justshutup.Youdon'tknowwhatyou'retalking about.Youdon'tknowanything.Sojustkeepyourstupidmouthclosed. LULAYou'reafraidofwhitepeople.Andyourfatherwas.UncleTomBigLip! CLAY[Slapsherashardashecan,acrossthemouth.ebackoftheseat.LULAsheadbangsagainstthebackof theseat.Whensheraisesitagain.CLAYslapsheragain]Nowshutupandletmetalk[Heturnstowardthe otherriders,someofwhomaresittingontheedgeoftheirseats.TheDRUNKisoneoneknee,rubbinghis head,andsingingsoftlythesamesong.HeshutsuptoowhenheseesCLAYwatchinghim.Theothersgo backtonewspapersorstareoutthewindows.]Shit,youdon'thaveanysense,Lula,norfeelingseither. Icouldmurderyounow.Suchatinyuglythroat.Icouldsqueezeitflat,and,watchyouturnblue,on ahumble.Fordullkicks.Andalltheseweakfacedofayssquattingaroundhere,staringovertheir papersatme.Murderthemtoo.Eveniftheyexpectedit.Thatmanthere...[PointstoaWELL DRESSEDMAN]IcouldripthatTimesrightoutofhishand,asskinnyandmiddleclassedasIam,I couldripthatpaperoutofhishandandjustaseasilyripouthisthroat.Ittakesnogreateffort:For what?Tokillyousoftidiots?Youdon'tunderstandanythingbutluxury. LULAYoufool! CLAY[Pushingheragainsttheseat]I'mnottellingyouagain,TallulahBankhead!Luxury.Inyourfaceand your fingers. You telling me what I ought to do. [Sudden scream frightening the whole coach] Well, don't!Don'tyoutellmeanything!IfI'mamiddleclassfakewhiteman...letmebe.Andletmebein the way I want. [Through his teeth] I'll rip your lousy breasts off! Let me be who I feel like being. UncleTom.Thomas.Whoever.It'snoneofyourbusiness (Youdon'tknowanythingexceptwhat's there for you to see. An act. Lies. Device. Not the pure heart, the pumping black heart. You don't everknowthat.AndIsithereinthisbuttonedupsuittokeepmyselffromcuttingallyourthroats.I mean wantonly. You great liberated whore! You fuck some black man, and right away you're an expert on black people. What a lotta shit that is. The only thing you know is that you come if he bangs you hard enough. And that's all. The belly rub? You wanted to do the belly rub? Shit, you don'tevenknowhow.Youdon'tknowhow.Thatoldiptydipshityoudo,rollingyourasslikean elephant.That'snotmykindofbellyrub.BellyrubisnotQueens.Bellyrubisdarkplaceswithbig hats and overcoats held up with one arm. Belly rub hates you... Old baldheaded foureyed ofays poppingtheirfingers...anddon'tknowyetwhatthey'redoing.Theysay,"IloveBessieSmithand don'tevenunderstandthatBessieSmithissaying,"Kissmyass,kissmyblackunrulyass."Before love,suffering,desire,anythingyoucanexplain,she'ssaying,andveryplainly,"Kissmyblackass." Andifyoudon'tknowthat,it'syouthat'sdoingthekissing. (CharlieParker?lCharlieParker.AllthehipwhiteboysscreamforBird.AndBirdsaying,"Upyour ass,feeblemindedofay!Upyourass."Andtheysittheretalkingaboutthetorturedgeniusof CharlieParker.Birdwould'veplayednotanoteofmusicifhejustwalkeduptoEastSixtyseventh Streetandkilledthefirsttenwhitepeoplehesaw.Notanote!AndImthegreatwouldbepoet.Yes. That'sright!Poet.Somekindofbastardliterature...allitneedsisasimpleknifethrust.Justletme bleedyou,youloudwhore,and'onepoemvanished.Awholepeopleofneurotics,strugglingtokeep frombeingsane.Andtheonlythingthatwouldcuretheneurosiswouldbeyourmurder.Simpleas that.ImeanifImurderedyou,thenotherwhitepeoplewouldbegintounderstandme.You understand?NoIguessnot.IfBessieSmithhadkilledsomewhitepeopleshewouldnthaveneeded thatmusic.Shecouldhavetalkedverystraightandplainabouttheworld.Nometaphors.Nogrunts. Nowigglesinthedarkofhersoul.Juststraighttwoandtwoarefour.Money.power.Luxury.Like that.Allofthem.Crazyniggersturningtheirbacksonsanity.Whenallitneedsisthatsimpleact. Murder.Justmurder!Wouldmakeusallsane.[Suddenlyweary)Ahhh.Shit.Butwhoneedsit?Id ratherbeafool.Insane.Safewithmywords,andnodeaths,andclean,hardthoughts,urgingmeto newconquests.Mypeople'smadness.Hah!That'salaugh.Mypeople.Theydon'tneedmetoclaim them.Theygotlegsandarmsoftheirown.Personalinsanities.Mirrors.Theydon'tneedallthose words.Theydon'tneedanydefense.Butlisten,though,onemorething.Andyoutellthistoyour father,whosprobablythekindofmanwhoneedstoknowatonce.Sohecanplanahead.Tellhim nottopreachsomuchrationalismandcoldlogictotheseniggers.Letthemalone.Letthemsing cursesatyouincodeandseeyourfilthassimplelackofstyle.Don'tmakethemistake,through someirresponsiblesurgeofChristiancharity,oftalkingtoomuchabouttheadvantagesofWestern rationalism,orthegreatintellectuallegacyofthewhiteman,ormaybethey'llbegintolisten.And

then,maybeoneday,you'llfindtheyactuallydounderstandexactlywhatyouaretalkingabout,all thesefantasypeople.Allthesebluespeople.Andonthatday,assureasshit,whenyoureally believeyoucanacceptthemintoyourfold,ashalfwhitetrustieslateofthesubjectpeoples.With nomoreblues,excepttheveryoldones,andnotawatermeloninsight,thegreatmissionaryheart willhavetriumphed,andallofthoseexcoonswillbestandupWesternmen,witheyesforclean hardusefullives,sober,piousandsane,andthey'llmurderyou.They'llmurderyou,andhavevery rationalexplanations.Verymuchlikeyourown.They'llcutyourthroats,anddragyououttothe edgeofyour.citiessothefleshcanfallawayfromyourbones,insanitaryisolation. LULA[Hervoicetakesonadifferent,morebusinesslikequality)I'veheardenough. CLAY[Reachingforhisbooks)Ibetyouhave.IguessIbettercollectmystuffandgetoffthistrain.Looks likewewon'tbeactingoutthatlittlepageantyououtlinedbefore. LULANo.Wewon't.You'rerightaboutthat,atleast.[Sheturnstolookquicklyaroundtherestofthecar)All right![Theothersrespond) CLAY[Bendingacrossthegirltoretrievehisbelongings)Sorry,baby,Idon'tthinkwecouldmakeit.[Asheis bendingoverher,thegirlbringsupasmallknifeandplungesitintoCLAY'Schest.Twice.Heslumpsacross herknees,hismouthworkingstupidly) LULASorryisright.[Turningtotheothersinthecarwhohavealreadygottenupfromtheirseats)Sorryisthe rightestthingyou'vesaid.Getthismanoffme!Hurry,now![TheotherscomeanddragCLAY'Sbody downtheaisle)Openthedoorandthrowhisbodyout.[Theythrowhimoff]Andallofyougetoffatthe nextstop.[LULAbusiesherselfstraighteningherthings.Gettingeverythinginorder.Shetakesouta notebookandmakesaquickscribblingnote.Dropsitinherbag.Thetrainapparentlystopsandallthe othersgetoff,leavingheraloneinthecoach. VerysoonaYOUNGNEGROofabouttwentycomesintothecoachwithacoupleofbooksunderhisarm.He sitsafewseatsinbackofLULA.Whenheisseatedsheturnsandgiveshimalongslowlook.Helooksup fromhisbookanddropsthebookonhislap.ThenanOLDNEGROCONDUCTORcomesintothecar,doinga sortofrestrainedsoftshoe,andhalfmumblingthewordsofsomesong.HelooksatTHEYOUNGMAN, briefly,withaquickgreeting] CONDUCTOR.Hey,brother! YOUNG MAN Hey. [The CONDUCTOR continues down the aisle with his little dance and the mumbled song. LULA turnstostareathimandfollowshismovementsdowntheaisle. TheCONDUCTOR tipshishatwhen hereachesherseat,andcontinuesoutthecar]