“Nikki-Rosa” was written by the American poet Nikki Giovanni and first published in Giovanni's 1968 collection, Black Feeling, Black Talk/Black Judgement. The poem explores the speaker's memories of growing up in a predominantly Black suburb of Cincinnati, taking care to emphasize happy moments with family and the strong sense of community that the speaker felt. At the same time, the poem examines the ways in which white society tends to misrepresent Black Americans' experiences, focusing only on stereotypical narratives of hardship and poverty. The speaker rejects these shallow narratives and instead asserts the enduring power of love, connection, and Black identity within her own experience.
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The Full Text of “Nikki-Rosa”
The Full Text of “Nikki-Rosa”
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“Nikki-Rosa” Summary
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“Nikki-Rosa” Themes
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White Misrepresentations of Black Experiences
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-33
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The Power of Black Love and Community
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-33
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Nikki-Rosa”
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Lines 1-4
childhood remembrances are ...
... no inside toilet -
Lines 5-8
and if you ...
... all to yourself -
Lines 8-11
and ...
... chicago barbecue in -
Lines 12-15
and somehow when ...
... meetings about Hollydale -
Lines 16-19
and even though ...
... another dream goes -
Lines 20-23
And though you’re ...
... makes any difference -
Lines 24-26
but only that ...
... Christmases -
Lines 27-30
and I really ...
... is Black wealth -
Lines 30-33
and they’ll ...
... was quite happy
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“Nikki-Rosa” Symbols
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The Dream
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 18-19: “your father’s pain as he sells his stock / and another dream goes”
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“Nikki-Rosa” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Allusion
Where allusion appears in the poem:- Line 3: “Woodlawn”
- Line 15: “Hollydale”
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Anaphora
Where anaphora appears in the poem:- Line 5: “and”
- Line 12: “and”
- Line 16: “and even though”
- Line 20: “And though”
- Line 22: “and though”
- Line 27: “and”
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Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 1-2: “drag / if”
- Lines 3-4: “Woodlawn / with”
- Lines 6-7: “have / your”
- Lines 7-8: “mother / all”
- Lines 8-9: “and / how”
- Lines 10-11: “those / big”
- Lines 13-14: “you / understood”
- Lines 20-21: “that / concerns”
- Lines 24-25: “you / and”
- Lines 25-26: “good / Christmases”
- Lines 27-28: “cause / to”
- Lines 30-31: “they’ll / probably”
- Lines 32-33: “that / all”
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End-Stopped Line
Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:- Line 2: “Black”
- Line 4: “toilet”
- Line 5: “something”
- Line 9: “bath”
- Line 11: “in”
- Line 12: “home”
- Line 14: “feelings”
- Line 15: “Hollydale”
- Line 16: “remember”
- Line 17: “understand”
- Line 18: “stock”
- Line 19: “goes”
- Line 21: “you”
- Line 22: “lot”
- Line 23: “difference”
- Line 26: “Christmases”
- Line 28: “me”
- Line 29: “understand”
- Line 31: “childhood”
- Line 33: “happy”
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 3: “like living”
- Lines 3-4: “Woodlawn / with”
- Line 6: “how happy,” “have”
- Line 9: “bath”
- Line 11: “big,” “barbecue”
- Line 18: “sells,” “stock”
- Line 20: “poor,” “poverty”
- Line 22: “fought”
- Line 23: “father’s,” “drinking,” “difference”
- Line 31: “hard”
- Line 33: “while,” “was quite,” “happy”
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Repetition
Where repetition appears in the poem:- Line 1: “childhood”
- Line 2: “Black”
- Line 6: “they never talk,” “how happy”
- Line 9: “how good”
- Line 12: “when you talk”
- Line 13: “never”
- Lines 13-14: “how much you / understood”
- Line 17: “never understand”
- Line 20: “And though,” “poor it isn’t poverty”
- Line 22: “and though”
- Line 23: “it isn’t”
- Line 25: “happy”
- Line 29: “they never understand”
- Line 30: “Black love is Black wealth”
- Lines 30-31: “they’ll / probably talk”
- Line 31: “hard childhood”
- Line 32: “never understand”
- Line 33: “happy”
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Imagery
Where imagery appears in the poem:- Lines 9-11: “how good the water felt when you got your bath / from one of those / big tubs that folk in chicago barbecue in”
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Colloquialism
Where colloquialism appears in the poem:- Line 1: “a drag”
- Line 25: “happy birthdays”
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Juxtaposition
Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:- Lines 5-33
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Parallelism
Where parallelism appears in the poem:- Lines 20-23: “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”
- Line 30: “Black love is Black wealth”
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“Nikki-Rosa” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Nikki-Rosa
- Woodlawn
- Hollydale
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(Location in poem: )
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Nikki-Rosa”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Nikki-Rosa” Speaker
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“Nikki-Rosa” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Nikki-Rosa”
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More “Nikki-Rosa” Resources
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External Resources
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Collection of Work from the Black Arts Movement — Explore this special feature at the Poetry Foundation website to learn more about the Black Arts Movement. This collection includes a range of poems by Black Arts Movement writers, as well as podcasts and essays about their work.
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Biography of Nikki Giovanni — Read about Nikki Giovanni's poetry and critical responses to her work in this biography at the Poetry Foundation. This page also includes links to other poems by the poet, articles that talk about Giovanni, and other related information.
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The Black Arts Movement — Learn more about the history of the Black Arts Movement, and its connection to the Black Power Movement, in this article from the New York Public Library.
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The Poem Recited by the Poet — Watch Nikki Giovanni recite "Nikki-Rosa" in this video from 2014.
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Nikki Giovanni's Website — Learn more about the poet's life and work at her website, which includes a chronology of important events in her life and a full list of her published works.
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