diamonds are mined . . . oil is discovered
gold is found . . . but thoughts are uncovered
wool is sheared . . . silk is spun
weaving is hard . . . but words are fun
highways span . . . bridges connect
country roads ramble . . . but I suspect
if i took a rainbow ride
i could be there by your side
metaphor has its point of view
allusion and illusion . . . too
meter . . . verse . . . classical . . . free
poems are what you do to me
let’s look at this one more time
since i’ve put this rap to rhyme
when i take my rainbow ride
you’ll be right there by my side
hey bop hey bop hey re re
From “The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni” (Morrow: $20; 292 pp.)
Copyright 1995 Reprinted by permission.