Love Poems

by Nikki Giovanni

In a career that has spanned more than a quarter century, Nikki Giovanni has earned the reputation as one of America's most celebrated and contoversial writers. Now, she presents a stunning collection of love poems that includes more than twenty new works.

From the revolutionary "Seduction" to the tender new poem, "Just a Simple Declaration of Love," from the whimsical "I Wrote a Good Omelet" to the elegiac "All Eyez on U," written for Tupac Shakur, these poems embody the fearless passion and spirited wit for which Nikki Giovanni is beloved and revered.

Romantic, bold, and erotic, Love Poems expresses notions of love in ways that are delightfully unexpected. Articulating in sensuous verse what we know only instinctively, Nikki Giovanni once again confirms her place as one of our nations's most distinguished poets and powerful truth-tellers.

In a career that has spanned more than a quarter century, starting with her explosive early years in the Black Rights Movement, Nikki Giovanni has earned a reputation as one of America's most celebrated and controversial writers. Her mind-speaking work has made her a universal favorite and a number-one best-seller.The love poems-the revolutionary "Seduction," the whimsical "I Wrote a Good Omelet," and the tender "My House" to name just a few-are among the most beloved of all Nikki Giovanni's works. Now, Love Poems brings together these and other favorites with over twenty new poems. Romantic, bold, and erotic, Love Poems will once again confirm Nikki Giovanni's place among the country's most renowned poets and truth tellers.

Genres: Poetry, Romance, Nonfiction, African American, Classics, Love, LGBT

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recordings, and nonfiction essays, and covers topics ranging from race and social issues to children's literature. She won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for her poetry album, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Additionally, she was named as one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends". Giovanni was a member of The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.
Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the "Poet of the Black Revolution". During the 1970s, she began writing children's literature, and co-founded a publishing company, NikTom Ltd, to provide an outlet for other African-American women writers. Over subsequent decades, her works discussed social issues, human relationships, and hip hop. Poems such as "Knoxville, Tennessee" and "Nikki-Rosa" have been frequently re-published in anthologies and other collections.
Giovanni received numerous awards and holds 27 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities. She was also given the key to over two dozen cities. Giovanni was honored with the NAACP Image Award seven times. One of her more unique honors was having a South America bat species, Micronycteris giovanniae, named after her in 2007.
Giovanni was proud of her Appalachian roots and worked to change the way the world views Appalachians and Affrilachians.
Giovanni taught at Queens College, Rutgers, and Ohio State, and was a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech until September 1, 2022. After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, she delivered a chant-poem at a memorial for the shooting victims.

Reviews

[Julie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Poems is my first introduction to Nikki Giovanni's poetry. I haven't yet read any literary criticism of her work, but, based on her age and her writing style, I'm going to go out on a limb and declare her as being influenced by both Langston Hughes's and Maya Angelou's poetry.

There's an innate sassiness and playfulness here, as well as a fantastic use of rhythm that I never find enough of in modern poetry. I liked being reminded of how jazzy and rhythmic poetry can be, a style that was once more commonplace among poets like Hughes, Sandburg, and Cummings (three of my all-time favorites).

However, this was a tricky collection for me to be reading during this somber week of isolation, violence and death.

It is, essentially, a celebration of Ms. Giovanni being in love again, and, yes, that is cause to celebrate, always.

Though the poet and I were on different wavelengths, I can't do anything but admire her ability to create rhythm within some playful, sexy poetry:

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

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for lovers in summer - pick one of these poems to read to that special someone during a moonlight picnic as you count shooting stars. I am sure couples will find many poems that remind them of each other here - and over the years the memory of those summer nights will be brought back every time the poems are read again.

[Sacheen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I wrote a good omelet...and ate a hot poem...after loving you"
Enough said!

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I didn't want it to end.

[Keith Book Korner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book of poems really enjoyed them
Some didn’t hit but overall great book

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni is irreverent, outrageous and outspoken and I love her. These are NOT the typical love poems at all. But some of them rhyme and I like that!!

I am currently reading (actually listening to) Hill Harper's Letters to a Young Sistah. Hill loves her too. She is mentioned more than once.

4 stars

[Michael Tavon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m almost done reading but the living legend Giovanni delivered with this collection. What I love most is how there are no easy words, her poems are so fluid, simplicity but vividly gorgeous.

She never reached with overly ambitious metaphors and cliches, instead ms. Giovanni painted pretty pictures with intimate details og her life and relationships. Such a breath of fresh air to read poems from one our most brilliant minds

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went on a Nikki Giovanni poetry reading binge because she will be at the SC Book Festival in May 2014.

This little anthology of love poems is a selection of some of her earlier poems about relationships, unrequited love, longterm love, and loss. It is a partner book to the volume published in 2009, Bicycles. I shamelessly enjoyed these, because sometimes you just need a good love poem.

My favorites include:
A Poem of Friendship
You Are There

i shall save my poems
for the winter of my dreams...

[Women's National Book Association of New Orleans · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Women's National Book Association sent this book to the White House today (March 25) in honor of Women's History Month: https://www.wnba-centennial.org/book-...

From the Women's National Book Association's press release:

Love Poems addresses love in all its forms, romantic to familial. The works in this small volume showcase Giovanni’s eminently accessible style. Her poems are direct, spirited, fearless, and witty. Known as a leading writer on black life in America, Giovanni touches readers of all races and genders with her honest words on the human experience, and her special focus is the subject of love.

[rie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up cuz why can’t goodreads give us damn half star ratings yet???

A very cute playfulness in these love poems that I enjoyed a lot. I like when people show the fun sides of love like yeah it’s dramatic and can be painful but when I think about my favourite moments and what made me truly love my partner, it’s in the moments when we’re having the most fun existing with each other.

[amanda abel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know she’s beloved. I know she’s a force. But I just couldn’t get into these at all. The structures and rhymes felt too simple and expected. I recognize that many people find value here, but I read a third of this and put it down.

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bold, Erotic, Sexy & Deep! An Excellent Read! I Loved It!

[Bree Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I don’t want to be near you for the thoughts we share
But the words we never have to speak”

Nikki Giovanni is so good. It was her and Tupac’s Rose That Grew From Concrete that made me fall in love with poetry. I remember reading this a teen and not quite getting it all. I really enjoyed finally rereading it.

[Emily Magnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt very “roses are red, violets are blue”. Cute easy poems that hone in on the sustainability of loving and being loved.

“no one would say life handed you a silver spoon or golden parachute but you still met married bought a home reared a family
supported a church and kept a mighty faith in your God and each other
they say love/is a many splendored thing but maybe that's because we recognize you loved no matter what the burden you laughed no matter for the tears you persevered in your love

and your garden remains in full bloom”

[Colona Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains simple poems that you can read in an afternoon and beautiful written paragraphs. These poems makes a person sit back and think about things they don't normally think about. Great poems. There is even a poem about 2Pac. Some of my favorites were: A Summer Love Poem, I Do Have My Likes and Dislikes, Just a Simple Declaration of Love, You are There, A Happy Reason and Luxury.


~April

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great collection from Nikki Giovanni! A few of my favorite poems: Poetry Is A Trestle, Resignation, I Take Master Card (this one made me want to cheer.) There's a variety of tones and feelings, ranging from silly and light-hearted to serious and thought-provoking. She also explores a variety of themes and topics. While the whole collection is solid, Part III was particularly excellent.

[Tamyka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hearing Madame Giovanni read these books herself was an experience in so grateful to have blessed myself with, what a way to end the year! These poems made me breathless, punched me in the gut, and made me roar with laughter. The poems were so good I had to go back and change my rating for a few other books of poetry I read this year. I started the year with a poetry book and I’m making this the last one I read so I go out riding this high. Do yourself a favor and do the audiobook for this one, you won’t be disappointed!

[michelle king · Rating 4 out of 5]

just wonderful and wickedly beautiful. nikki makes me proud to be a VT english alum. the poem “resignation” absolutely gutted me and left my little heart exposed. i wrote a few lines down to keep close to me. much to love here 🤍

[sarah a munn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it and definitely had some that I stopped and thought about more than others.

[Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

wool is sheared...silk is spun
weaving is hard...but words are fun

for personal reasons, I will be screaming.

good poetry!

there's a zodiac cancers are cancerous joke and an elegy for 2pac that makes sure to make space for afeni's grief. in "for theresa," giovanni writes, "you came along/ and loved me/ for being black and bitchy/ hateful and scared." from "a theory of pole beans (for ethel and rice)": "they say love/is a many splendored thing/ but maybe that's because we recognize you loved no matter what the burden/ you laughed no matter for the tears/ you persevered in your love/ / and your garden remains in full bloom." in "resignation," she proclaims, "I love you/[...] because the Pope is Catholic/ and most Rabbis Jewish."

a handful of poems I particularly enjoyed--

"I Wrote a Good Omelet"

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
somewhre 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

"Love Is"

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

"Things That Go Together"

Let's start with the air which has its airplanes
And thunder
And lightning
And kites

Then think of the bulbs which have shades
And switches
To turn on
When we need night lights

Oysters have seas Some dogs have fleas
though bricks and mortar are sticking

Rock has its roll Bay Bridge: No Toll
and pillows have cases and ticking

And tumbling through Space with a smile on its face
The moon has its wine and its cheeses

The Jeopardy answer is: You and Me
The question is: Who likes squeezes

"And I Have You"

Rain has drops Sun has shine
Moon has beams That make you mine

Rivers have banks Sand for shores
Hearts have heartbeats That make me yours

Needles have eyes Though pins may prick
Elmer has glue To make things stick

Winter has Spring Stockings feet
Pepper has mint To make it sweet

Teachers have lessons Soup du jour
Lawyers sue bad folks Doctors cure

All and all this much is true
You have me And I have you

"Mothers"

the last time i was home
to see my mother we kissed
exchanged pleasantries
and unpleasantries pulled a warm
comforting silence around
us and read separate books

i remember the first time
i consciously saw her
we were living in a three room
apartment on burns avenue

mommy always sat in the dark
i don’t know how i knew that but she did

that night i stumbled into the kitchen
maybe because i’ve always been
a night person or perhaps because i had wet
the bed
she was sitting on a chair
the room was bathed in moonlight diffused through
those thousands of panes landlords who rented
to people with children were prone to put in windows
she may have been smoking but maybe not
her hair was three-quarters her height
which made me a strong believer in the samson myth
and very black

i’m sure i just hung there by the door
i remember thinking: what a beautiful lady

she was very deliberately waiting
perhaps for my father to come home
from his night job or maybe for a dream
that had promised to come by
“come here” she said “i’ll teach you
a poem: i see the moon
the moon sees me
god bless the moon
and god bless me”
i taught it to my son
who recited it for her
just to say we must learn
to bear the pleasures
as we have borne the pains

"No Furnaces (For Valentine's Day)"

I don't understand why my hands are cold...What am I trying to prove...That I can keep the house as cold...as you do...even when you're not here...That my feet and hands don't care...I think not...I think it's a simple desire...unstated even to myself...to acknowledge...that when you're not here...it's always cold...and the furnace...can not...possibly...make a difference

"A Happy Reason"

a good book (not necessarily a mystery)...some popcorn with lots of real butter...an overstuffed chair...a fire in the wood stove...quilts on the couch...thermal blankets on the bed...a feather duster waiting to be used...a merlot waiting to be explored...the coffee pot with a timer...the 49crs winning if we get lucky...comic pages in color...intelligent editorials...snow or rain or any inclement weather...or heavy doses of sun...a reason to move or not move...a reason to go or not go no reason to be
anything...
except happy...
with...
you

"Telephone Poem"

Cans and strings and backyard trees
Giggles coming through the wire
Summer mud pies lemonade stands
Hang Up No You Hang Up First

Potatoes must be piled mile high
Then you add the leaves
Daddies always light the fires
Hang Up No You Hang Up First

Marriage children divorce jobs
Ambitions eat our days away
Girl I miss our silly times
Hang Up No You Hang Up First

two longer ones under the cut.

"When Gamble and Huff Ruled"

that’s when to be hot was cool. to care was correct. to be involved was without examination or explanation ’cause it was just the right thing to do to creatively express yourself while knowing who you and your people are

that’s when everybody was young including the world we lived in and the people who oppressed us and everybody just kept hoping that if we all lived long enough to grow up maybe just maybe we would survive racism and maybe they would give it up and an older world would be safer and more hopeful and somehow younger than the young world we were living in

that’s when we wore our bell bottoms and earth shoes and afros that reached the sky and the guys practically poured themselves into their jeans so that they moved slower while we had more physical mobility so we moved quicker and the media had begun warning black men about the “dangers” of loving black women but they weren’t listening to the media then they were listening to their own hearts and the music that kept pouring out of the radio and people kept sort of falling in love and sort of wanting to do something important and after all didn’t all the hippies meet on south street and wasn’t there some sort of love train pulling out and my oh my look out for those back stabbers so we wouldn’t let anyone divide us even though sometimes your best friend was after your lady

that’s when the music was for us about us by us and gamble and huff didn’t take a gamble or huff but righteously brought the music out of us to place it back in us and, hey, they want to talk about Intruders and i always loved those brothers ’cause that’s what we all are if other people have their way i mean…. Intruders?

that’s when in some wild and wonderful way we were courageous enough to still fall in love and crazy enough not to hold back and sensible enough not to cry when it was over nor whine nor beg and plead and threaten but just find another love for another day and even if people thought we were trite and silly we knew we were just expressing a brand new us and oh you had better believe the people were ready for that train a coming

that’s when we were strong and determined to change the world and if not change it leave it different from when we first met it and i like black people for that

i like us for our faith and our energy and loving our mamas and ourselves and the world and all the chances we took in trying to make everything better which we did for some and definitely not for others and i dislike other people for taking our music our muse and our rap to sell their cars and bread and toothpaste and deodorant and sneakers but never seeming to have enough to give back to the people who created it and that’s not a huff or a gamble but the awful truth of white america

that’s when the possibility was possible and we got in our orange beetles and drove across country and back and rocked and rolled into a newer possibility while lassoing and harnessing and ultimately riding the night winds that bucked and resisted but we held on and we were right and the possibilities closed down but the beat goes on the beat goes on the beat beat beat goes right on

that’s when

"And Yeah...This Is A Love Poem (October 16, 1995)"

It’s not that I don’t respect the brother in Baltimore or Washington or even some parts of Northern Virginia because I do It’s just that this is different

The brother who had to wake up before dawn, get into a car that may or may not need a new muffler, a new set of spark plugs, some attention to the motor but who decided none the less that “Yes” he had to heed the call to go to Washington DC That’s the brother I want to talk about

Not at all, please understand, that I don’t have a high regard for the brother who got on the bus Getting on buses has always been a central revolutionary act of Black America Just ask Plessy or Parks No Getting on a bus is an act of responsibility An act of bravery

An act of commitment to change

But the brother who rose from his warm bed Who made his own coffee because his wife pretended to be asleep because she was scared that he might not come back alive and she didn’t want to let him see her fear in her eyes ’cause she knew he needed to go even if he wouldn’t come back alive That’s the brother I want to talk about here

I want to talk about the young brother who just didn’t understand why everything he did no matter how hard he tried never seemed to come out right How if he went bowling and got nine pins the 10th pin would just stand there mocking the ball heading for the gutter How if he bumped into someone on the street and said a simple “I’m sorry” somebody else would jump in his face but if he didn’t say anything then someone said he was uncouth or how sometimes people would even deliberately run into him so he joined with other people like him and instead of calling it a Benevolent Society or a Brotherhood or something wonderful and romantic like Elks and Masons and Lions or Rotarians they called it a “Gang” indicating it was a “nest” of “vipers” and terms like that indicating things that we find dirty and unacceptable How when four or five white boys rape a mentally handicapped girl they are just exercising bad judgment but when four or five black boys rape a jogger they are all animals and this is not for any brother who rapes any female and it’s not for anyone who hurts women or other vulnerable life forms but just a word or two about black boys who don’t understand why everything they ever tried to do just never seems to turn out right and I think “Of course” “Yes” “Why wouldn’t they cry themselves to sleep” when all that they want and want to be they already know is denied them Why wouldn’t they be afraid of the dark Why wouldn’t their hearts be broken when the people they love…mothers…fathers…aunts…uncles…girlfriends…good buddies…teachers…preachers…all turn out to be untrue And please don’t tell me that basketball and baseball and football aren’t the way to go that they should get their education when their education will only tell them to get a talent because the people who get up if not out of these cesspools we call the inner city have something more than a high school degree behind them and you have to be some kind of real fool to not see that they see who makes the money and who doesn’t This is for the brother, however, who does, indeed, believe that there can be should be must be a change

It’s not that I am in any way unhappy about the brother who has a fine home, a car that is always serviced on time, a job with health benefits, a pretty wife, happy smart children, a dog that obeys. I’m proud and happy for him and his because I know a people cannot do better unless individuals do better but this is about the brother who stands on the street corners singing five part a cappela harmony and the brother who does break dancing under the street lights and the brothers who created rap because they took the music classes away so the brothers scratched then they invented CDs so the brothers rapped then they said Rap is the enemy of women as if Bob Dole and Rush Limbaugh and self satisfied Republicans with bumper sticker mentalities don’t exist so this is for the brother who is simply trying to find a tone to soothe his soul while everyone wants to make him the reason America is way off track

And this is about the brother who knowing he is a better person than even he thinks he is got in his car in Detroit or Cincinnati or St. Louis and headed for Washington not knowing if he would be the only brother to show up for the Day of Atonement but knowing if he was the only brother then on this day at this time he would be the brother to stand and say to himself, his brothers and the folks whom he loves and who love him I Am Sorry That Things Are Not Different and that is a mighty powerful thing to say because people want to make you make miracles when all any of us can actually say is I Wish It Would Be Different but this is for the brother who was willing to be the only brother so that if there would be laughter as he stood alone on the Mall he still said I will stand because today it doesn’t matter if I am alone I need to stand and testify and yeah this is a love poem for that brother who decided for this one point in time I will be my better self…And we all are very proud of you

[Jenna Sierra]

favorite poems were “seduction”, “kidnap poem”, “my house” and “i take master card (charge your love to me)” <3

[Kari Yergin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my kind of poetry. Does that mean I don’t like love?!

[David Worrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short volume of Giovanni's poems. As with any collection of poetry they range from mediocre to very good and will resonate with each reader differently. Her best poems are sly, passionate, and reveal the depths of a life lived fully. Recommended.

One of my favorites:

I Take Master Card


(Charge Your Love to Me)

I've heard all the stories 'bout how you don't deserve
me 'cause I'm so strong and beautiful and wonderful and you could
never live up to what you know I should have but
I just want to let you know:

I take Master Card

You can love me as much as your heart can stand
then put the rest on
account and pay the interest
each month until we get this settled

You see we modern women do comprehend
that we deserve a whole lot more
than what is normally being offered but we are trying
to get aligned with the modern world

So baby, you can love me all
you like 'cause you're pre-approved
and you don't have to sign on
the bottom line

Charge it up
'til we just can't take no more
it's the modern way

I take Master Card
to see your Visa
and I deal with a Discovery but I don't want any American
Express 'cause like the Pointer Sisters say: I need a slow hand

Nikki Giovanni

[Bonnie Chen]

I really enjoyed reading this book because Nikki Giovanni is one of my all time favorite poets. I have prior knowledge, as I have read a couple of her poems before, such as Woman. I loved her use of literary elements-tone, mood, personification, simile, metaphors, etc. Frankly, however, her poems were quite hard to comprehend and complex in this book, but all poems share a similar theme: Love. There is love between friends, family members, pets, etc. I can relate to the theme because I have been loved all my life- by my mom, dad, sister,brother, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. My friends have loved me, too. Thus, reading this book brought back the feelings of giving and receiving love. Her use of tone is very strong- still stuck in my head and I can visualize and hear the whole scene due to her talent in writing poetry. In fact, she is able to really impact me as a reader mentally and emotionally, all the time.

[Kirby Rock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got married a few weeks ago, so I'm feeling all smooshy inside and wanted to read some love poetry-- thus, this book. 70% of this collection is comprised of "love" poems in the traditional sense-- some lighthearted and whimsical (when I was still teaching, "I Wrote a Good Omelet" was one of my favorites to use in the classroom), some nostalgic and quietly profound. The remainder are about race, politics, civil rights... also "love" poems in a different sense. There were bright spots in each section, but the pieces that resonated most with me were the simple, pensive poems like "You Came, Too," which brought a little tear to my eye. Much of this collection is deceptively simple, and they're not all masterpieces, but there are definitely some gems here.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful little book of love poems from a very thoughtful poet. I resonated with many of the poems even though I am a middle class white male and the poet is an older black woman, which might speak to the universality of poetry and love. Some of the poems are very light hearted, and some are serious, but you can really hear Ms. Giovanni's voice coming through them all. The book is small and easy to read in a sitting, or two. I read some of them out loud to my wife, which I recommend. All in all, very enjoyable.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

And this book is where I fell in love with Nikki Giovanni. I forget whether Ginny discovered this one and recommended it to me or if I did and recommended it to her, but it was one of those books we both fell in love with at the same time, back in college. One of those books that has paid out so many times over in inspiration and love and joy and all the wonderful things that there are about poetry. Just a week or so ago I chose one of these poems to write inside a card for a bridal shower -- everyone loved it. These poems are wonderful. Everything perfect that poetry should be.

[Kristin B. Bodreau · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating here is strictly a reflection of my own personal taste rather than the skill of the poet. I’ve never been a huge fan of poetry, but I keep trying, thinking that someday I’ll find the style that strikes me.

I read this on the recommendation of a friend, and unfortunately it’s still just not for me. Though I did enjoy the longer poems with the denser style such as “The Only True Lovers Are Chefs or Happy Birthday, Edna Lewis.”

I should probably stick to novels. I’m just not sure I’ll ever find a poetry book I can appreciate as much as it deserves.

[Kristen Lemaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything people said it would be - light and loving, dark and powerful, sweet and sensual, and above all else, unabashedly truthful. I wish we had studied her work in my high school English courses, that we had used her art to talk about things that matter and to explore our identities and privileges. Poems that will stick with me: "Kidnap Poem," "Seduction," When Gamble and Huff Ruled," "Poetry is a Trestle," "Balances," "Resignation," "How Do You Write a Poem?," and "I Take Master Card."

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why didn't anyone tell me how fabulous Nikki Giovanni's poetry is? It's just amazing. I love this book in particular because she writes about love in ALL its forms-- romantic and sexual love, certainly, but also friendship love, love of country, love of people, love of place and time and food and ancestors. It's basically perfect and I love it and I need to read everything she's ever written now, thanks.