This week we lost one of the greats of American literature, as well as a great human being, activist, and educator – Nikki Giovanni. In this moment when so much seems to be going so wrong in so many parts of the world, I found in her poem, The Song of the Feet, published in 2002, a long view that I find both sobering and inspiring. May we be honored to walk in her footsteps, and may her memory be for a blessing.
The Song of the Feet
By Nikki Giovanni
It is appropriate that I sing
The song of the feet
The weight of the body
And what the body chooses to bear
Fall on me
I trampled the American wilderness
Forged frontier trails
Outran the mob in Tulsa
Got caught in Philadelphia
And am still unreparated
I soldiered on in Korea
Jungled through Vietnam sweated out Desert Storm
Caved my way through Afghanistan
Tunneled the World Trade Center
And on the worst day of my life
Walked behind JFK
Shouldered MLK
Stood embracing Sister Betty
I wiggle my toes
In the sands of time
Trusting the touch that controls my motion
Basking in the warmth of the embrace
Day’s end offers with warm salty water
It is appropriate I sing
The praise of the feet
I am a Black woman
