Head Off & Split: Poems

nikky finney captures a fierce i’m-not-the-one-to-mess-with tone, learned as much from the tough girls, the bad girls, as from rosa parks in Red Velvet: ‘A girl in the crowd, taught not to shout, shouts, “Oh! She’s so sweet-looking! Oh! They done messed with the wrong one now.” You cannot keep messing with a sweet-looking Black woman knows her way around velvet.’ poems about other black women not to mess with in this book who had their moment of media attention are condoleezza rice and wilma rudolph. these are poems of the south, stories from louisiana of floods, church bombings in alabama, strom thurmond’s black children in south carolina, a solitary artist in kentucky and the woman who drove across five states to be with her. these are poems about enduring until one knows what one needs to be known so as not be messed with. in Red Velvet: ‘The Montgomery seamstress waits and waits for the Cleveland Avenue bus. She climbs aboard, row five. The fifth row is the first row of the Colored section. The bus driver, who tried to put her off that day, had put her off twelve years before. But twelve years before she was only twenty-eight, still a child to the heavy work of resistance.’ finney’s velvet is fish. she tells the story of her journey, beginning from the days before she learned the lessons for the day she would buy her own fish whole and grip a knife for the heavy work. her metaphor testifies to the heavy work accomplished to write the way she does. these are poems about leaving and returning, and standing ground, and about staying when the ground is washed away from underfoot and why leaving isn’t an option. there’s nothing easy about these poems, which is why they should be read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this politically enticing collection. Throughout Nikky Finney’s poetry in Head Off & Split, each poem is narrated through Finney’s own perspective as a black woman. By Finney’s descriptions and themes, Finney reveals her dedication not only to African-Americans, but to women as a whole. In Finney’s first section of poetry, labeled “The Hard - Headed,” Finney dedicates poem “Red Velvet” for Rosa Parks and the strength it took her as a black woman in segregated America to take a stand for all black people in the nation. Finney says, “Arching herself over a river of cloth she feels for the bias, But doesn’t cut, not until the straight pins are in place, Marking everything; in time, everything will come together” (“Red Velvet,” ii., 4-6). In “Red Velvet,” Rosa Parks is a 42-year-old seamstress, a hardworking woman who provides her skills to “well-meaning white women / in Montgomery” (“Red Velvet, iii., 25-26). By the subtle line, “in time, everything will come together,” (6) Finney understands the slow progression a nation takes to gain rights and equality in a nation historically marked with oppression. She also notes Rosa Parks’ demeanor not as someone who intends to build on a movement, but she goes about her daily routine like any other woman. Through Finney’s description of Rosa Parks, readers understand it only takes one person to change a movement, despite what profession s/he may be in or who s/he is among the community. Since Finney herself is contributing to black women’s rights, Finney may be comparing Rosa Parks to the importance of a movement’s continual progression. In Finney’s second section of Head Off & Split, “The Head - over - Heels,” her poems place an emphasis on gay, black women, saying, “I stop my hand midair // If I touch her there everything about me will be true” (“The Aureole” 1-2). Finney reveals the character’s sexuality through the hesitancy in expressing the feelings the narrator has for this other woman. Finney’s usage of hesitation is due to Appalachian society’s expectations, including gender roles and family ties. The latter can be seen in the poem “Head Off & Split,” for which her book is named. She says the title is based on how a “fish” comes naturally compared to how the “fish” is prepped before going home. In “Head Off & Split” Finney says, “I am head off and split,” (iii. 26). She must take out the incomplete parts of herself for an acceptable presentation, but really she would rather take the fish home untouched, complete and whole. Head Off & Split is socially and politically challenging in every way, bringing forth themes of African-American history, the role of a new generation, and the plain and inexplicable human nature of life and love. In her last poem, Finney makes her stance clear on black rights and women’s rights by saying, “Careful to the very end what you deny, dismiss & cut away” (“Instruction, Final: To Brown Poets from Black Girl with Silver Leica,” 15-16).

...she writes about interesting and important things, but if only some of the poems had been more about her and not about others. Just a thought.

Such a good book. Her POV's in the poems, her language, her sense of humor all contribute to the awesomeness of this book. I was never so pleased to have to buy a book for school before I bought this book. A must read for true poets.

from the first page, just astonishingly good

Wonderful purchase, book, and woman. Dr. Nikky Finney never disappoints. Her book opens the depths of your heart. She has a way of reaching you with every word, every line, and every moment. This was just what I needed. If you are looking for inspiration and thorough writing, this is for you! Please, take it upon yourself to enjoy her work!

A Great read! It's Word Art. What's another word for poetic? Graceful! The nice thing about a great book of poems is that you can read them over and over forever and ever.

This book is amazing! Deep and rich poetry, touching on human emotions I didn't even know existed. A uniquely African American viewpoint that is naked and enlightening with nothing held back. I found myself in tears not as much because of the poetry's story line but because of the power and use of language.

This collection of poems transcends race, nationality and gender whilst being firmly rooted in African American culture and experience. As a white, middle-class, middle-aged, British male I was moved, uplifted and angered. If you need to be further inspired to buy this book then simply look at the author's acceptance speech at the 2011 National Book Award in Poetry [...], you will never hear a better address.