Poem- "Possum Crossing" by Nikki Giovanni

[Ms. Knarr]

Possum Crossing by Nikki Giovanni



Backing out the driveway

the car lights cast an eerie glow

in the morning fog centering

on movement in the rain slick street



Hitting brakes I anticipate a squirrel or a cat or sometimes

a little raccoon

I once braked for a blind little mole who try though he did

could not escape the cat toying with his life

Mother-to-be possum occasionally lopes home . . . being

naturally . . . slow her condition makes her even more ginger



We need a sign POSSUM CROSSING to warn coffee-gurgling neighbors:

we share the streets with more than trucks and vans and

railroad crossings



All birds being the living kin of dinosaurs

think themselves invincible and pay no heed

to the rolling wheels while they dine

on an unlucky rabbit



I hit brakes for the flutter of the lights hoping it's not a deer

or a skunk or a groundhog

coffee splashes over the cup which I quickly put away from me

and into the empty passenger seat

I look . . .

relieved and exasperated ...

to discover I have just missed a big wet leaf

struggling . . . to lift itself into the wind

and live

[dougrybczynski]

1. This poem is about the moments that scare some drivers the most-almost hitting an animal crossing the road. It is about the moments when suburbia life turns into a terrifying experience for some people. It finally ends with the realization that the creature she is trying to avoid is really just a wet leaf flapping in the breeze.

2. Personally I have to laugh a little when the big moment of someone's day was avoiding some creature on the road. I think the majority of the students in these two classes can tell you suburbia isn't exciting in any way and that this poem seems to have captured that pretty well.

3. 1) Is this poem meant to be exciting or capture any emotions in particular?
2) Are most of Giovanni's works like this?
3) Is there a deeper meaning behind this poem?
4) What did she mean by saying the leaf was struggling to live?

[jimmymahoney]

1. I think this poem can do go deeper than Doug's interpretation. The "coffee-gurgling neighbors" are people with power who don't take time to consider the well being of people with less money, power and social status, who are the animals. The leaf is the lowest of the low, lucky enough to be spared by an inattentive driver.

2. I think the way the lines are broken up adds a lot of depth to the meaning. On my road, it's more common to see roadkill than not, and if signs were posted warning inattentive drivers, it could drastically reduce the amount. With the meaning I gave above, the signs would be things that show the upper class that the lower class has to struggle to keep up, and perhaps precautions should be taken to assist them.

3. To answer Doug's 4th question, the leaf is the lowest of the low, with no chance of survival. That it was spared once is lucky enough, but it still needs luck to get by in this world. My question is, what could the coffee represent that it causes people to stop caring about keeping others alive?

[mattstyczynski]

1. I agree with you Doug, the poem discusses all the scenarios a driver thinks about before they back out of their drive way. I also think Nikki Giovanni wanted to express that animals are just as important as other humans when it comes to driving. Drivers should be extra cautious with animals just as they are with other drivers. The poem also says that there should be signs specifically, one that says POSSUM CROSSING. I think this was another way the author wanted to bring animal safety to our attention.

2. After reading this poem I was confused. I did not know whether the animals and the driver backing out of their drive way was a symbol for something. I did not know whether to read the poem literally for what it was, or to find a deeper meaning in it. I did enjoy the simplicity of the poem which made it easy to read. Overall I thought it was an enjoyable poem that was fun to read.

3. (answering question 1) I thought the poem was written to capture emotions of the driver. The constant battling that seemed to go on inside the drivers head made me think that this was a recollection of a past memory. (my question) Do you think Nikki Giovanni is someone who loves nature and tries to protect and defend it in her works of literature?

[caileighidell]

1. I also agree with Doug's interpretation of this poem which is that drivers are sometimes very afraid of the road and the animals that tend to cross thoughtlessly. Animals do not have the consciousness to know any better than to be on the road when there are moving vehicles out and about. This poem is striving to embellish the importance of safe driving which also includes the awareness of animals on the road.

2. I do not believe that Nikki Giovanni meant for this poem to be anything but straightforward about the animals on the road. If Giovanni intended to recognize a larger message than that of the protection of animals on the road she most likely would not have gone into such great detail on exactly how these animals operate in these situations. I, quite frankly, do not see how there could be any excessive meaning to this simple poem.

3.(answering Matt's question) I did not actually think of this while I was reading her poem but now that you have brought it to my attention I do indeed see just how Nikki Giovanni could be the type of person who works to defend nature through her writings. A great deal of respect and love of nature that Giovanni has can be seen in her detail. I definitely believe that Giovanni has striven to protect nature both through her works of literature and in her daily life as well.

4.(my question) *Just how clear exactly does Nikki Giovanni make the harm that can be brought upon animals through motor vehicle accidents?

[marysiagarcia]

1. I agree with Doug that this poem is literally about hitting an animal and then avoiding something only to figure out it was just a leaf. At the same time i feel that this poem goes deeper to say sometimes in life we must avoid obstacles to not hurt others but we must know which are worth avoiding and which are just silly.
2. I dont really like this poem. I felt it was pointless and really didnt have much of a meaning in the literall sense. Looking between the lines it meant a little more and I liked that the author could hide that at first but the excessive detail wasn't necessary. This poem will probably not have left a mark on me.
3. To answer Matt's question, i do believe that Nikki Giavanni has a particular soft side for animals maybe because she feels she can relate to them.
(my question)What is the significance of the possum?

[gabbymcgovern]

1. I believe that the meaning behind this poem is just how Marysia said it. People must try their hardest to avoid obstacles and tragedies. If we don't care about hitting animals while driving, what else are we not going to care about? People have to try their hardest to be attentive and smart about what they are doing. An example of this is simply trying to avoid hitting animals like possums. I think this poem serves to explain how people don't only share the roads with other drivers, but also animals.

2. I am not so crazy about this poem. I feel like I can't grasp the true meaning behind it. However, I have this feeling that the poem is about how people have to realize that they have to be more caring towards animals. People can be so careless that even signs are needed to explain that animals are crossing. This poem's true purpose is a mystery to me, but I feel that it is a simple story about life and how humans are not alone.

3. Doug's third question- Yes I do believe that there is a deeper meaning behind this poem. I think it was written to show the dangers of driving an how people have such control in life. People have the ability to run over animals, and this means that we must be cautious. People need to set up signs to remind themselves how we are living with other creatures.
My question- Do you think something happened to Nikki Giovanni in her past that made her want to write about protecting animals?

[mikeriga]

I agree completely with Jimmy and how this is more than animals. The animals are just metaphors, they represent people of the lower class the ones that have a say in government, but are not listened to. The leaf is also a metaphor to immigrants or those who are always walked upon, because they have no power or say in government. All they can do is hope for the best, but most likely they will die like every other leaf that falls from a tree. When the author says they should have signs up to warn of animal crossings that's just going a step farther in how government officials should actually listen to the people they are representing.

2.) I really like this poem because it's easy to understand and there are so many ways to interpret it. This small story is so relatable, but also deep in how society must change and open its eyes to how people are being treated in this country. The detail of the leaf is very important in how he says all it can is hope for the wind, and I take that to me they can only pray to their God at that point. Giovanni in this story is recognizing a problem, and sadly we still have it currently. After reading this it has impacted me to step up and try to make a difference in the world. No matter how small of a difference, it's still a step forward.

3.) To answer Gabby I think something happened in her past to make her write about the problems with the government or society at the time. This story is not about animals they are just used to represent different groups of people in the country. For example the bird, represents a powerful group of people who consider themself as being, well powerful; but no matter what they are still an animal or a human.

4.) My question is: Why does the author use coffee in this analogy? Does it represent anything, if so what?