Top 15 Famous Nikki Giovanni Poems About Love And Life Of All Time 2024

Among the most renowned living antiques, the first book of poetry of Nikki Giovanni, Black Feeling, Black Talk, came out in 1968. Her job is tender and warm and shows Giovanni’s high standards for her speech, for its people in her own life, and for exactly what she expects out of her nation, marred by systemic racism. She was chosen as the first recipient of Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award winner.

An individual can locate a street map for a better world within her poems. Here are the best Nikki Giovanni poems, which feel like a fantastic place to begin one of her lengthy, significant body of work. Penn Book expects if you examine them, you genuinely feel as though I did at 15 discovering her for the first time.

About Nikki Giovanni

English Department Chair Nikki Giovanni has the title of University Distinguished Professor. Giovanni, most known for her poetry, has long utilized her creative talents to bring attention to societal concerns, particularly those involving race and gender.

She was a vocal advocate for equality and civil rights by the time she earned her bachelor’s in history from Fisk University in 1967. She released her first poetry volumes a year later.

She has written over twenty volumes of poetry, essays, and edited anthologies, in addition to 11 picture books for kids, including the Rosa Parks biography “Rosa,” which won an award. “Gemini,” Giovanni’s autobiography, was a 1973 National Book Award nominee. The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, her CD, was a nominee for the Best Spoken Word Album Grammy in 2004.

The first Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, the American Book Award, the Langston Hughes Award, the Virginia Governor’s Award for the Arts, and the Emily Couric Leadership Award are just a few of the honors Giovanni gave.

Additionally, she has won the NAACP Image Award seven times. Her most unique accolade came in 2007 when a South American bat species, Microphyteris Giovanniae, was named in her honor. She has received 27 honorary degrees and the keys to almost as many cities.

A committed educator, Giovanni has served as a visiting lecturer and poet-in-residence at several universities. She promotes poetry as a means of self-expression for students of all ages.

Collected Poetry Of Nikki Giovanni

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Poem For A Lady Whose Voice I Like

so he said: you ain’t got no talent

if you didn’t have a face

you wouldn’t be nobody

and she said: god created heaven and earth

and all that’s Black within them

so he said: you ain’t really no hot shit

they tell me plenty sisters

take care better business than you

and she said: on the third day he made chitterlings

and all good things to eat

and said: “that’s good”

so he said: if the white folks hadn’t been under

yo skirt and been giving you the big play

you’d a had to come on uptown like everybody else

and she replied: then he took a big Black greasy rib

from adam and said we will call this woeman and her

name will be sapphire and she will divide into four parts

that simone may sing a song

and he said: you pretty full of yourself ain’t chu

so she replied: show me someone not full of herself

and i’ll show you a hungry person

Dreams

in my younger years

before i learned

black people aren’t

suppose to dream

i wanted to be

a raelet

and say “dr o wn d in my youn tears”

or “tal kin bout tal kin bout”

or marjorie hendricks and grind

all up against the mic

and scream

“baaaaaby nightandday

baaaaaby nightandday”

then as i grew and matured

i became more sensible

and decided i would

settle down

and just become

a sweet inspiration

You Came, Too

I came to the crowd seeking friends

I came to the crowd seeking love

I came to the crowd for understanding

I found you

I came to the crowd to weep

I came to the crowd to laugh

You dried my tears

You shared my happiness

I went from the crowd seeking you

I went from the crowd seeking me

I went from the crowd forever

You came, too

I Wrote A Good Omelette

I wrote a good omelet…and ate

a hot poem… after loving you

Buttoned my car…and drove my

coat home…in the rain…

after loving you

I goed on red…and stopped on

green…floating somewhere in between…

being here and being there…

after loving you

I rolled my bed…turned down

my hair…slightly

confused but…I don’t care…

Laid out my teeth…and gargled my

gown…then I stood

…and laid me down…

To sleep…

after loving you

A Good Cry

A Poem Of Friendship

We are not lovers

because of the love

we make

but the love

we have

We are not friends

because of the laughs

we spend

but the tears

we save

I don’t want to be near you

for the thoughts we share

but the words we never have

to speak

I will never miss you

because of what we do

but what we are

together

I am currently enjoying reading 10 Best Mary Oliver Poems.

Knoxville, Tennessee

I always like summer

best

you can eat fresh corn

from daddy’s garden

and okra

and greens

and cabbage

and lots of

barbecue

and buttermilk

and homemade ice-cream

at the church picnic

and listen to

gospel music

outside

at the church

homecoming

and go to the mountains with

your grandmother

and go barefooted

and be warm

all the time

not only when you go to bed

and sleep

Nikki-Rosa

childhood remembrances are always a drag

if you’re Black

you always remember things like living in Woodlawn

with no inside toilet

and if you become famous or something

they never talk about how happy you were to have

your mother

all to yourself and

how good the water felt when you got your bath

from one of those

big tubs that folk in chicago barbecue in

and somehow when you talk about home

it never gets across how much you

understood their feelings

as the whole family attended meetings about Hollydale

and even though you remember

your biographers never understand

your father’s pain as he sells his stock

and another dream goes

And though you’re poor it isn’t poverty that

concerns you

and though they fought a lot

it isn’t your father’s drinking that makes any difference

but only that everybody is together and you

and your sister have happy birthdays and very good

Christmases

and I really hope no white person ever has cause

to write about me

because they never understand

Black love is Black wealth and they’ll

probably talk about my hard childhood

and never understand that

all the while I was quite happy

Vote

It’s not a hug

Nor mistletoe at Christmas

It’s not a colored egg

At Easter

Nor a bunny hopping

Across the meadow

It’s a Vote

Saying you are

A citizen

Though it sometimes

Is chocolate

Or sometimes vanilla

It can be a female

Or a male

It is right

Or left

I can agree

Or disagree but

And this is an important but

I am a citizen

I should be able

To vote from prison

I should be able

To vote from the battlefield

I should be able

To vote when I get a driver’s license

I should be able

To vote when I can purchase a gun

I must be able

To vote

If I’m in the hospital

If I’m in the old folks’ home

If I’m needing a ride

To the Polling Place

I am a citizen

I must be able to vote

Folks were lynched

Folks were shot

Folks’ communities were gerrymandered

Folks who believed

In the Constitution were lied to

Burned out

Bought and sold

Because they agreed

All Men Were Created Equal

Folks vote to make us free

It’s not cookies

Nor cake

But it is the icing

That is so sweet

Good for the Folks

Good for Us

Sky Diving

I hang on the edge

of this universe

singing off-key

talking too loud

embracing myself

to cushion the fall

I shall tumble

into deep space

never in this form

or with this feeling

to return to earth

It is not tragic

I will spiral

through that Black hole

losing skin limbs

internal organs

searing

my naked soul

Landing

in the next galaxy

with only my essence

embracing myself

as

I dream of you

Love Is – Best Nikki Giovanni Love Poems

Some people forget that love is

tucking you in and kissing you

‘Good night’

no matter how young or old you are

Some people don’t remember that

love is

listening and laughing and asking

questions

no matter what your age

Few recognize that love is

commitment, responsibility

no fun at all

unless

Love is

You and me

Choices

If i can’t do

what i want to do

then my job is to not

do what i don’t want

to do

It’s not the same thing

but it’s the best i can

do

If i can’t have

what i want… then

my job is to want

what i’ve got

and be satisfied

that at least there

is something more to want

Since i can’t go

where i need

to go… then i must… go

where the signs point

though always understanding

parallel movement

isn’t lateral

When i can’t express

what i really feel

i practice feeling

what i can express

and none of it is equal

I know

but that’s why mankind

alone among the animals

learns to cry

Quilt

(for Sally Sellers)

Like a fading piece of cloth

I am a failure

 

No longer do I cover tables filled with food and laughter

My seams are frayed my hems falling my strength no longer able

To hold the hot and cold

 

I wish for those first days

When just woven I could keep water

From seeping through

Repelled stains with the tightness of my weave

Dazzled the sunlight with my

Reflection

 

I grow old though pleased with my memories

The tasks I can no longer complete

Are balanced by the love of the tasks gone past

 

I offer no apology only

this plea:

 

When I am frayed and strained and drizzle at the end

Please someone cut a square and put me in a quilt

That I might keep some child warm

 

And some old person with no one else to talk to

Will hear my whispers

 

And cuddle

near

If a Lemon

If a lemon

Kissed a beet

Is it sour

Or is it sweet

 

If a bear

Gives

A hug

Will it turn

Into a rug

 

And then there’s me

And there is you

I do sometimes wonder

What will we do

Mercy

She asked me to kill the spider

Instead, I got the most

peaceful weapons I can find

 

I take a cup and a napkin.

I catch the spider, put it outside

and allow it to walk away

 

If I am ever caught in the wrong place

at the wrong place, just being alive

and not bothering anyone,

 

I hope I am greeted

with the same kind

of mercy.

Other Famous Poems By Nikki Giovanni

• Knoxville Tennessee Poem
• Ego Tripping

FAQs

What is Nikki Giovanni known for?

Nikki Giovanni is known for her poetry that reflects her African American heritage, social activism, and personal experiences.

What themes does Nikki Giovanni’s poetry explore?

Nikki Giovanni’s poetry explores themes such as racial pride, social justice, self-discovery, love, and loss.

What is Nikki Giovanni’s writing style?

Nikki Giovanni’s writing style is characterized by its direct, conversational tone and its use of strong, clear images to convey her message.

What is Nikki Giovanni’s most famous poem?

Nikki Giovanni’s most famous poem is “Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)”.

How has Nikki Giovanni’s poetry impacted the world?

Nikki Giovanni’s poetry has had a profound impact on the African American community and the world at large. Her works are seen as powerful expressions of black pride, womanhood, and social justice activism.

Where can I read Nikki Giovanni’s poems online?

Nikki Giovanni’s poems can be found on websites such as Poem Hunter and The Academy of American Poets. Some of her books of poetry are also available in libraries or for purchase online.

Conclusion

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