"Ego Tripping"

Hello My LEDA Fam!
I want to share with you all one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite poets- Nikki Giovanni! She is a role model and Sorority sister of mine!

Poetry is not only a genre of literature; it has transformed into the voice for many individuals' emotions, feelings and beliefs. Poets have the job of using words to create stanzas of lyrical prose. Early poets like Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Ralph Emerson took words and created images of nature and love. As the years progressed, so did the view of poetry. Various types of writing, music, and even dance can be poetic. Earlier famous poets were predominantly white, famous poets presently have encompassed various ethnicities and cultures. Poets like Maya Angelou, Pablo Neruda, and Langston Hughes have utilized poetry to discuss issues of oppression and other societal issues. Poetry in the African-American community has targeted societal issues such as racism, oppression, poverty, and racial identity. One poet that has focused on issues of love, life and other societal issues is Nikki Giovanni. Nikki Giovanni has used her poetry as a way to record "herstory", exude her self-pride as well as combat issues that we face in society daily.


“Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)”

I was born in the congo

I walked to the fertile crescent and built

the sphinx

I designed a pyramid so tough that a star

that only glows every one hundred years falls

into the center

giving divine perfect light

I am bad


I sat on the throne

drinking nectar with Allah

I got hot and sent an ice age to Europe

to cool my thirstMy oldest daughter is Nefertiti

the tears from my birth pains

created the nileI am a beautiful woman


I gazed on the forest and burnedout the Sahara desert

with a packet of goat's meatand a change of clothes

I crossed it in two hours

I am a gazelle so swift

so swift you can't catch me


For a birthday present when he was three

I gave my son Hannibal an elephant

He gave me Rome for mother's day

My strength flows ever on


My son Noah built new/ark and

I stood proudly at the helmas we sailed on a soft summer day

I turned myself into myself and was

Jesus

men intone my loving name

All praises All praises

I am the one who would save


I sowed diamonds in my back yard

My bowels deliver uranium

the filings from my fingernails are

semi-precious jewels

On a trip north

I caught a cold and blew

My nose giving oil to the Arab world

I am so hip even my errors are correct

I sailed west to reach east and had to round off

the earth as I went

The hair from my head thinned and gold was laidacross three continents


I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal

I cannot be comprehended except by my permission


I mean...I...can fly

like a bird in the sky...

-Nikki Giovanni

When reading this poem, one can blatantly see the self- pride that is exuded. This poem was written in 1973, during a time of the Black Panther movement when people like James proud was singing "I'm black and I'm proud". The concept of being black as natural beauty was also seen through the fashion of Afro's at that time where hair was left unprocessed and embraced in all of its natural features and textures. Also during the 70's a growing rate of women becoming more free spirited and taking on the role of feminists. This poem embraces both feminism and African American history to create a poem that radiates pride.

The first stanza of the poem allows the reader to make the connection between Africa and the writer. This first stanza captures the attention of readers because of it's allegations. Giovanni writes that she "built the sphinx" and "designed a pyramid" The comparisons drawn between her and the Egyptians of ancient Africa allows for the reader to embark on an historical voyage, tying in poetic prose with historical events. The second stanza is a poignant one in which she contributes that "tears from my birth painscreated the Nile". This portrayal of women being strong enough to create a body of water is very powerful. In addition, in this stanza Giovanni states for the first time in the poem "I am a beautiful woman". These words speak volumes to the reader. Not many poems by African American writers have been able to connect historical framework and African American woman. The rest of the poem continues to support this fact that African American woman are the "mothers" of Africa and of creation.

Some other phrases that make the comparison between African American women and Creation so poignant are, "I am a Gazelle", "I turned myself into myself and was Jesus", "I sowed diamonds in my backyard", and "I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal". Giovanni craftily utilizes phrases like the one mentioned to create a poem filled with pride in African American history and in self-identity. This poem speaks to African Women who have been oppressed by the media, and broader societal images of African-Americans. It is a poem of uplifting and pride in who you are as not only a woman but an African American woman.

Giovanni ends this poem with words of liberation. She writes, "I mean…I… can Fly like a bird in the sky… this supports the notion that after creating so many things on this earth, everything else is possible. Leaving the reader with a sense of hope, pride and faith was truly accomplished with this poem.
Various media outlets have embraced the poetry of Nikki Giovanni as well as her dedication to academia. Ego Tripping received many reviews after it's arrival to the American Literature scene. Raheil Tesfamariam wrote in the Washington Informer "I discovered Nikki Giovanni's "Ego Tripping" and my life was forever changed. That poem commanded me to love myself, my sisters and my people…I love Giovanni for sharing those thoughts of Afro-centric self-love with the world; I love her for daring to tell Black women that they are beautiful and "so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal." This supports the notion that Giovanni's poetry has been used as a way to gain self-affirmation for African American women. Nikki Giovanni's unyielding pride allows for her to portray a positive image of black woman in society. She continues to enrich the canon of American Literature by tastefully and craftily utilizing words to create timeless poetic pieces.

-Mellisa Thompson-