Nikky Finney's Head off & Split

Going into Nikky Finney’s Head off & split book looking at the cover firsthand I would say I would have no idea what it is about. After reading the whole book, the image of what the book about is a strong image much like the fish cut in half and folded on the cover. I’m going to start off with the second last poem because that is the one the left the biggest impression on me plus there were so many parts as a woman of color that were relatable such as, “I am head off & split Perfectly served The daughter Home as expected Without children of her own As unexpected No little hands & legs to beg…The leaving daughter has outgrown home She drive out to the beyond alone” (93). The speaks so well to the feeling and imagery of womanhood and what is expected of us. And if we do not fit or fulfill that image we are soon as lonesome beings as if our only contribution to society is to have children. There is so much heartache behind this poem that it will take me years to fully unpack the six page poem between the speaker and the mother.

Nikky Finney does a great job at showing us the imagery of departing from a person or being left behind like in Left, “The roof is surrounded by broken levee water. The people are dark but not broken. Starving, abandoned, dehydrated, brown & cumulous but not broken” (13). Or in Heirloom she writes of the departure of a possible lover, “But I really didn’t think I would (ever leave), stings before the ladder hits the ground….This is how you throw something perfectly good away (53). Moments of not feeling wanted or not feeling desired is sadly almost a norm among women of color that Finney highlights throughout the book from the from the woman with cheerleader legs stranding on the roof after hurricane Katrina to the speaker driving alone on the road after visiting her family.

Another element I really enjoyed in Nikky’s poems were the sexual and sexuality in a few of her poems such as The Aureole, Organgerie and the clitoris. If I could I would quote every other line in all three poems about how strong Nikky’s imagery and word choice were. My favorite stanza would have to be from Organgerie, “We assuaged the purple hills all night, all the way to the tea blue sea, cooling the fruit floating there, twister of raw sugar, cubed, then row after row, ginger, grated, peeled, dried, tangling tango of tongues” (55). Wow… “Purple hills to the tea blue sea cooling the fruit floating there” I don’t even know! If this written in a sexual connotation the imagery of the purple hills is amazing along with the rhythm and wording of tea blue sea cooling the fruit. Not only is there imagery but sense of touch and feel which I really appreciate as a reader.

I would have to say this book is a not an easy read for a lazy day, the book makes you think about word choice, rhythm, womanhood, sexuality, southern history and racism but most of all I think this book is a great inspiration for poets in terms of writing and imagery. It is rich in language and feeling almost to the point you feel as though this book should be a lot heavier in weight than it really is. I feel like I will be going back to this book year after year.