Ballad

“Remembrance” by Maya Angelou (1978)

Angelou was an active member of the Black Arts Movement. In this poem from the And Still I Rise collection, the speaker details a sexual experience that leaves her changed: “On the occasion, you press / above me, glowing, spouting / readiness, mystery rapes / my reason” (Lines 4-8). In the third stanza of “Ballad,” the speaker says the following: “I fixed my body / under his and went / to sleep in love / all trace of me / was wiped away” (Lines 17-21). In “Ballad,” the speaker also remembers an experience that has impacted her in both a memorable and an uneasy way.

“Depression” by Sonia Sanchez (1984)

This poem, also from the Homegirls and Handgrenades collection, features a similar style to “Ballad,” such as the lowercase lettering. “Depression” also has a contemplative first-person speaker, visual imagery, and alliteration (the repetition of initial consonant sounds).

“Norma” by Sonia Sanchez (1984)

This prose piece from the Homegirls and Handgrenades collection tells the story of a teenager named Sonia who admires a smart, pretty student in her high school named Norma. They connect over French class, but eventually they lose touch. Sonia hears that Norma started taking drugs and became pregnant. They run into each other and agree to meet again but never do. After seeing what Norma has become, Sonia vows “to never agree to agree again.” This theme of role models and mentorship is also part of the “Ballad” poem, except that in that poem, the younger woman’s disappointment in the older mentor is not present.

“Love Is” by Nikki Giovanni (1997)

A contemporary of Sanchez’s and an active participant in the Black Arts Movement, Giovanni’s poem shares similar and different ideals than “Ballad.” In “Love Is,” from the Love Poems collection, Giovanni discusses the effort of love but ends on a positive note: Love can be fun if it is “You and me” (Line 15). However, in “Ballad,” the older speaker declares that she is “too old to learn of love” (Line 25).