Always There Are the Children [1974]
Nikki Giovanni (1943-)
and always there are the children
there will be children in the heat of day
there will be children in the cold of winter
children like a quilted blanket
are welcomed in our old age
children like a block of ice to a desert sheik
are a sign of status in our youth
we feed the children with our culture
that they might understand our travail
we nourish the children on our gods
that they may understand respect
we urge the children on the tracks
that our race will not fall short
but children are not ours
nor we theirs they are future we are past
how do we welcome the future
not with the colonialism of the past
for that is our problem
not with the racism of the past
for that is their problem
not with the fears of our own status
for history is lived not dictated
we welcome the youngof all groups
as our own with the solid nourishment
of food and warmth
we prepare the way with the solid
nourishment of self-actualization
we implore all the youngto prepare for
the young
because always there will be children
Rome 12 November 1974
Questions for Discussion
1. Which characteristic identifies this selection as modern poetry?
A) Stanzas
B) Figurative language
C) The first-person plural voice
D) Lack of capitalization and punctuation .
2. Which devices does the poet use in lines 2 and 3 of the poem?
A) Repetition and contrast .
B) Rhythm and rhyme
C) Assonance and alliteration
D) Symbolism and irony
3. The intent of the poet in using the diction in line 27, “nourishment of self-actualization,” is to —
A) cause the reader to skip over the line out of frustration
B) make the speaker sound intellectual
C) get the reader’s attention by slowing the reading pace .
D) show the speaker’s usual way of phrasing
4. The last two lines of the poem indicate that it is very important for children to prepare to be —
A) workers
B) citizens
C) parents .
D) leaders
5. What does the speaker in the poem propose for all children?
A) Strict discipline
B) Rigorous instruction
C) Universal nurturing .
D) Artistic expression