HELP!! Can't understand this poem by Audre Lorde: "Who said it was simple"? Explain?

Question

Here is the poem: THANKS!

WHO SAID IT WAS SIMPLE

There are so many roots to the tree of anger
that sometimes the branches shatter
before they bear.

Sitting in Nedicks
the women rally before they march
discussing the problematic girls
they hire to make them free.
An almost white counterman passes
a waiting brother to serve them first
and the ladies neither notice nor reject
the slighter pleasures of their slavery.
But I who am bound by my mirror
as well as my bed
see causes in color
as well as sex

and sit here wondering
which me will survive
all these liberations.

Answer 1

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The poet is looking at a group of well to do white women about to go on a march about women's rights who are discussing their maids/nannies/au-pairs who are most likely cheap immigrant labour girls. Meanwhile a half-caste waiter serves them ahead of another customer because they are white and the other customer is not. They don't even notice- and probably wouldn't care- that they have benefited from racial discrimination.

I'm not sure what the poet means by being bound by her bed but she is obviously not white and therefore discriminated against.

Answer 2

She is talking about discrimination against her-- in via both her sex and race.

She wants to stop the bias....but even amongst other woman there is bias due to race.

For her, there are two things to fight against, and she wonders which one of her 'two selfs' will survive.....