The Power of Listening to Nikki Giovanni’s ‘Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day’

Hearing her words, and her voice, makes the resonance that much deeper and the storytelling that much richer

Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day is my favorite collection of poetry by Nikki Giovanni. It’s been about 13 years since I was first introduced to it, falling deeply in love with the titular poem. I still cling to “Habits,” “Woman,” “Introspection,” and “Crutches,” which deftly declares:

emotional falls always are
the worst
and there are no crutches
to swing back on

Each time I read and reread a poem from Giovanni’s 36-piece collection of truth-telling, it opens me up a little more.

Nearly four months ago, I returned to Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day. Not by text but by audio. I stumbled upon the album, released by Folkways Records in 1978, on Spotify. I started streaming Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day during my long walks in my neighborhood, and it quickly became the walking meditation I didn’t know I needed. (When I’m not zen-ing out with jellyfish.)

Reading poetry is a gift. Listening to it heightens the experience. The words come alive with every syllable, breath, and lilt. With each listen of Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day, the verses hit me a little…