Summary

In the aftermath of the food fight, Keisha starts to ask Suze (Mama) a question, but Suze (Mama) interrupts her, speaking at length of how proud she is of Keisha for making her life a good one in spite of significant hardship. Keisha asks her to be quiet, telling Suze (Mama) that she has “told me every story I have ever heard” (99). Suze agrees to listen, but Keisha has difficulty figuring out what to say, commenting that she “can’t hear anything but you staring at me” (100). Finally, she asks Suze (Mama) to not be there, or to let her (Keisha) not be there. She says she needs space to think “in the face of you telling me who you think I am / with your loud self and your loud eyes / and your loud guilt / I can’t hear myself think” (100). She...