A Woman Speaks

On Tuesday last week, there was a bit of a heated discussion on Audre Lorde's poem, "A woman Speaks." Particularly on the last stanza that read:

I have been woman
for a long time
beware my smile
I am treacherous with old magic
and the noon's new fury
with all your wide futures
promised
I am
woman
and not white.

I am not quite sure what everyones argument was because there were so many, but I decided to pitch my two cents. I believe that her poem is about woman wanting more. She is writing this as a woman looking for equal opportunities in life, not as an African-American seeking rights. First of all, the poems title is "A Woman Speaks," blatantly implying that a woman is writing the poem. On the last few lines, Lorde says "I am, woman, and not white." She is implying that her gender is as big of, if not a bigger issue than the color of her skin. She has been demoralized in her life by her skin-color, but in this poem, she is fed up with the way she is treated because she is a woman, not because she is black. This type of poetry is how Lorde captured the attention of white audiences by directing this poem at a group of people (woman) that include whites.