Credit for this image goes to the
Maya Angelou official website
Author and poet, Maya Angelou died last week May 28, 2014 at the age of 86. Today’s blog post is dedicated to Dr. Angelou and however you might want to pay tribute, be it by an original poem, sharing your favorite poems and/or how she inspired you, and if you've had the honor to be in her presence, please share in the comments section.
A couple of weeks ago, after a morning of working out hard at the gym, I visited the nearby mall. In one of the stores I saw a large motivational black and white photo portrait exalting five thinkers. Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley.
To me, leading lady Dr. Angelou were no different from them. In fact she shares a connection with each men. She fought alongside both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights Movement. She was presented the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Dr. Angelou first met Nelson Mandela when she lived in Cairo in the 1960s and wrote the poem "His Day is Done" in tribute to Mandela. Although both used different methods, Dr. Angelou and Bob Marley were people who understood the power of words and how to wield them.
So with this post, I dedicate the poem Remembering Maya to Dr. Maya Angelou, the poet who'd lit the sometimes blackest of nights with her words. You will be missed but not forgotten.
Remembering Maya
I admit it’s been awhile
since I’ve kept in touch
but still your depth, and
graceful simplicity echoes
wherever I go. As if I can
ever forget how your words
tempered with your
inner strength and humanity,
sparking within me
a glimmer of hope
to reach you as you’ve
reached out to me,
you, a poet, phenomenally.
Still I will always remember you.
Still your poetry rises to sway
my heart and elevate my mind.
Still your voice will intone and
pierce my soul. And still your pen
will always rise and testify,
that you, a poet, were also
a thinker, phenomenally.
© May 29, 2014
If you want to learn more about Maya, check out the following links:
Maya Angelou’s Official Website
10 Things to Remember About Maya
Maya Angelou’s Story
Poems by Maya Angelou
Quotes by Maya Angelou
Phenomenal Woman Video and more
Maya Angelou- The People’s Poet Documentary
12th Annual UNCF Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Luncheon
Maya Angelou: A Freedom Fighter with a Pen
Special airing of Dr. Maya Angelou's Memorial Service June 7, 2014
More information, links, etc will be provided in later posts.
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."- Maya Angelou
April 14, 1928-May 28, 2014
Credit for this image goes to the
Maya Angelou official website
April 14, 1928-May 28, 2014
Credit for this image goes to the
Maya Angelou official website