Nikki Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech University, where she teaches writing and literature. A poet, activist and educator, Giovanni is the author of more than 30 books, has received 19 honorary doctorates and numerous awards, and has even been nominated for a Grammy Award. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1943, she received a B.A. in history from Fisk University, and also studied at University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. She taught at Rutgers before she joined the faculty at Virginia Tech in 1987.
This poem is from Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems (2002):
The Wind in the Bottle
Twice she dreamed of rainbows
not for the pots of gold
nor the elves basking in the colors
but the symmetry of the line
going up and down
Once she wished for wings
or at least red shoes
to ease on down the road
Often she worries
two arms one head one heart
can’t protect the falling fruit
Something will stay on the tree
and rot
Something will fall
and be left behind
Twice she dreamed of rainbows
playing hide and seek
with the clouds
The colors defy the sun
Who kisses the wind
Good night
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Maureen Doallas says
Giovanni has been on the poetry scene for such a long time. You’ve chosen a lovely poem to highlight. I love the surprise in that line “nor the elves basking in the colors”.