-
9 Colorfield
- University of Wisconsin Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
9 Colorfield· 91 · Characteristic of abstract painting in which large, flat areas of color are spread to cover the entire canvas and dominate over form and texture Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary P U have proudly divided into groups and each group has constructed a zone, fortified with walls so high and edges so sharp that they scare away and prohibit the right of way to anyone who does not belong to that specific group. To become a member, one has to have the same color, same race, same heritage, and a lot of pride in one’s roots. I find making segregation a fashion almost as wrong as imposing it. The Ethiopian community organized a month-long trip every summer. I participated one summer. A group of girls and boys along with some staff members ventured off on a trip that was going to be quite an adventure. We sojourned in a small town in the province of Latina. The girls and the boys were separated into two different large rooms with several bunks and night stands. But sleep was the only thing that took us apart, for we were at all times in each other’s rooms. We were free like hippies. We went about the house seminaked.The boys were topless and the girls wore barely anything. We smoked after a meal without the need to hide. We played cards and punished the loser with tolerance-testing trials like drinking several bottles of water or taking a shower with clothes on or taking off our clothes. When we were bored, the boldest ones gave the rest a striptease while everybody hummed the 91 ⁄2 Weeks movie theme song. We commuted to the beach every day. The beach at night was my favorite place. I took my shoes off, threw whatever I was holding onto the rocks, and jumped in the sea with my clothes on. My friends yelled at me not to. Meti, what the fuck are you doing? You can’t go in there with your clothes on! Are you crazy? That water must be freezing! It’s in the middle of the night. You know the kind of fishes that may be wandering in there, they shouted. 92 Exodus of Innocence I swam and swam until my feet could not feel the floor any longer. I turned around and, stirring my legs to be able to stand in the water, I invited my friends over. Come on, ragá, I shouted. It’s the most amazing feeling. É stupendo. Semplicemete divino. My words must have convinced them, for I saw them one by one entering the private part of our world, the sea. We splashed the water at one another. We swam and regretted leaving our newly acquired freedom in a place that wasn’t polluted with human sin. Completely wet and barefoot, holding our shoes in our hands, we went up on the street where vendors tried their luck under the night light. We fed our curiosity with the exploration of unusual objects. My eyes landed on a very interesting and, for me, new word. It was the title of a book. I picked the book up, and I looked at the word closer, just in case my probing it attentively might give away its meaning, but it didn’t happen. Hey, ragá, what does Kamasutra mean? They ignored me. I put the book down. I went closer to my friends, who were walking away from me, and I yelled after them. Ao, I’m talking to you. Che vuol dire Kamasutra? All of them whispered, Shhhh! tilting their heads and looking at me stealthily and reproachfully. Don’t fucking tell me to be quiet. I just wanna know what the word means. Why are you making such a big deal? If you know the meaning, just tell me what Kamasutra. . . . I was interrupted by Tola, who walked backward, seized me by my elbow, and whispered in my ears, It’s a sexual position. Now, shut the fuck up! You’re embarrassing us. It was late into the night and we were getting ready to go to bed when Dinah accidentally hit her head against the bed rail. Blood oozed from the wound. I took my undershirt from my bed and taped the open wound with it. Someone brought a wet towel, and I wiped the blood off her face. They got a car and took her to the hospital. She got stitches and...