I’ve been reading, over several months, now, several books by Nikki Giovanni:
Reading Nikki and knowing Nikki as a colleague and friend at Virginia Tech has been a treat. Nikki is such an authentic woman, with the power to impact people at their core, in their soul, at the depth of their spirit. She has an incredible talent to connect with humanity, the human quality of life, the universal. She has such wisdom – wisdom gained from years of fighting and calling out injustice. Many forget that she was such a part of the Civil Rights Movement, using her words as weapons in the battle. We often forget the harassment, the death threats, the hatred that many had towards her and yet, she persevered with her words. She never stopped speaking. It would have been so easy to stop, to quit, yet when you have a gift that must be given, there is no choice but to give. And Nikki has given the world a gift. It is not just poetry, but the power of laughter and humor. She helps us to laugh at life and in life. She unselfishlessly and selflessly shares herself.
Nikki spoke at the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy Conference at Virginia Tech in 2017. Nikki so empowered our conference and the women. She shared a poem, too, to encourage us.
Nikki is so gracious with her time and talent at Virginia Tech. At a staff leadership seminar at Virginia Tech, she encouraged us all to write poems. Take some time to be blessed by Nikki’s presentation below:
And, so, Nikki, I found some poems in me for you, inspired by you.
The Only One
I don’t like when people
get mad at you
for being angry
at politics
at mean White men
at injustice
at racism
at violence
and calling it out
with angry words
in truth
we should all be angry
and call it out
with angry words
so you wouldn’t be the
only
one.
Courage
Good God in heaven, Nikki
How do you find the courage
Fearlessness, power to
say what others think
but are too afraid to speak
I am still learning to be unafraid
to use the words that God
used to create the world
that God gave me to use
I know She wants me to.
Tears for Humanity
Today, I cried, Nikki
hot, wet salty tears
mixed with mucus that just ran like a river
Maybe like you said, we all need a good cry
I cry often though
not so much for me
though
enough
But more for humanity
for Black people,
Whites, too
Colored people in the world
Just the world
For the pain
For the suffering
For the loneliness
For the fear
I cried for you, too
as I remembered why I fell in love with
Your words
30 years ago in a Black poetry class
at Iowa with Melba Boyd
Your words of
anger
revolution
loneliness
words of
searching
yearning
seeking and
not quite finding
May my tears today water
your poetry with a prayer that can
grow the seeds of
love
and
laughter
Walking the Talk
You make us laugh
You remind us to be human
You call us to love
You ask us to rise above
You set a high bar
You challenge injustice
You talk a good game
You walk the talk, too
You are a
walking
woman
warrior
wielding
weapons
with
words