Best Angelou Poems
Doctor Maya Angelou the writer
Maya Angelou the actor
Maya Angelou the poet
The singer that was Maya Angelou
That Black lady
With silk smooth voice
Like silk smiling under the finger’s touch
She is dead
Maya Angelou is dead
How does that sound?
Do not let questions go to your head
For thoughts abound
With things that have no answer for themselves
Against the contest of death we never wins
I have memory on shelves
Of those who died and left me all their sins.
Maya Angelou is dead
Not the singer, or poet, or writer
The doctor is dead
Do I hear laughter
Or the sound of ice in glass
Before they pour bourbon, scotch or gin
And say I am only like grass
Why struggle if you never win?
The caged bird is it set free at last
Will freedom mute its tongue
What happens to the sorrow of the past
And the souls of people hung
Where there was neither cross or reason
Beyond the color of my skin
It is man alone that last a season
Thinking and believing was Maya’s sin.
D. Livingstone Smalling
“A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.” - Maya Angelou
The infamous feminist and activist Maya Angelou
She was a powerful force to recon with and to know
Her feminist and civil right beliefs were strongly expressed
As she bravely spoke her mind to try put injustices to rest
I hold it up again today; the world,
Pregnant with magical dimples
Of a child's reckless abandon,
And look at the face,
Then I look at the deep cut
And the pain it inflicted
I look back at the unpaid ransom,
The whips, hands chained to the back
Faces buried deep into the cold wall,
The so-called wall of the world, soaked
By the tears of our raped eyes.
I have seen the world through and through;
The sweet bitterness of living and dying,
The joyful agony of getting and losing;
The memories come clear like crystal
And the weak world whirls by unconsciously
Taking us down its untrodden alluvial depths
And scattering silence nearby and abroad:
Those are the world's worth!
Who amongst us does not have a story?
The world is killing us, thinking, perhaps
That there is sudden rebirth in each death
But those we lost are gone forever
And we bite our lips and rub our eyes,
Alas! Another phenomenon has been lost.
Like a cherished effigy
I hold it up again, the wild world
The nuance feeling surges like thousand waves
And I listen as different sharp sounds
Of cries, nay, moans pierce my ears,
The tears fall in torrents like a waterfall.
The earth, our unconcerned world is killing us,
Like little ants...it kills us with sledgehammer,
Hypothetical villain lurking by street corners
Waiting and waiting, almost impatiently.
But we love the world, and so much so
We cling to life, despite the odds
We want to live, love and be loved,
We want to experience and explore the depths.
We have been heart broken again and again,
And each time we heal
We lick our wounds and clean our tears
Trying to protect our battered ego.
We hold it up again and again
Like a cherished effigy, smiling
Notwithstanding our heaps of unfulfilled dreams,
Our not-to-clear future, our unheard cry-cracked voices,
Despite the rigours of the trite rituals
Of our religions, our creeds, our norms;
Despite the guns, the bombs, the blades
That cut us clean and shatter our unborn hopes,
We still cuddle our earth like a cherished effigy
Dressed to pattern by virgin children
While it takes us down one after another
Jubilantly like a well trained military marksman.
Alas! Another phenomenon has been gone.
(Response to And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou)
Refusing to ever descend after
My mother, grandmother, great grandmother
Have all endured broken wings
To ensure that I would one day be able to catch wind
I rise
Because Maya said so
Explaining to me my existence
Is never burden
Not curse
No, I am heavenly
Her voice like gospel
And I will always respond to good news
I rise
Because I was birthed from dead flames
So you’re damn right I’ve been through hell
I rise
Because too many
Will find satisfaction in my downfall
I’ve been hunted like duck season
Aiming at my every move, so yes
They will be upset when I make it out alive
I rise
Cuz I know no other direction
Built into me like going south for winter
Internal compass passed down
Through North Star guidance
This is instinct
There is nowhere to go but
Up
We are the smallest birds,and some mistake us for insects!We realize who we are,and we communicate on many levels of intelligence so that we can be relavent!,and connected,and respected.We fly faster ,and higher than any insect,and we possess an intelligence that can cause a president ,doctor,lawyer,teacher,preacher,racist,hater,player,actor,mystic,or even a critic to change their minds to do right: We do this just in the nick of time to be blessed for stopping a mess!! We fly and land on a man,s chest,or a woman's breast,and when we land there;they realize that we are not insects,but small birds with words to help us all hold our heads high ,and dry tears from every eye. We as poets are here to bring joy,and power while using words of wisdom in any arena where some have to ,and must make a decision!The words of a "Poet"can and does change people,and the way they behave,and bring joy into their nights and days. We feel the vibes,and we transmit the positive waves;both morning,noon,nights,and years,and all days!Maya Angelou landed on "MY" manly chest,and she landed on my mother's "Breast",and gave us a message,and a quest!We were dying,but we flew over "Death",and "Death passed us by! We are blessed,and we realize the reason why we did not die!We put on the whole suite of armor that has been given to us to have a victory over any enemy "Achieved",so that we will succeed!!WHEN "YOU GET" MONEY OR ANYTHING ELSE": YOU NEED TO "GIVE" IN ORDER FOR YOU TO CONTINUE TO "LIVE" OR MAYBE YOU WILL "DIE" FOR BEING "THE GREEDY" WHO WOULD NOT HELP "THE NEEDY"!!!! WHEN "YOU "LEARN" ,GO AHEAD AND "TEACH"!!!SCIENCE IS "KNOWLEDGE",! sCIENCE IS A CERTAIN "KIND"OF KNOWLEDGE.THERE EXIST KNOWLEDGE OF "ALL, ALL, KINDS,AND PHYSICS IS "JUST "ONE"!!! SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE IS WHERE "ALL SCIENCE,AND EVERY THING THAT CAN EXIST COMES FROM IN THE "UNIVERSE"....NOW "THE PHYSIST CAN BUST A "NUT" AND FINALLY "COME! THERE IS A .NUT TO CAUSE A .NUT.COM.AND THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE!!! .COM=.NUT. WHAT IS .COM WITHOUT .NUT?
Ode To Maya Angelou
Great Poet!
We shall forever yearn for one last verse,
one last soulful offering of truth,
one last rendering of the heart,
one last line from a hand so divine.
Great Poet!
We will forever feel the loss of your pen,
the loss of your own unique voice,
the loss of your talent on our stage,
the loss of a point of view scribed by you.
Great Poet!
Your written words so profound
etched in our hearts and minds
will live on "in and out
in and out
in and out
of time."
I am born by an icon
I am the result of her acumen
In the belly of her mind
I grew like a fetus
She fed me through her umbilical cord
Of her intellect and achievements
For the first time I heard her words
Full of life and hope
They stung me like a mosquito bite
I felt the pain of a caged bird
Crying for her freedom
From that day a poet was born
Her wisdom nourished my vision
To become the people’s diary
That tells the plight of a young girl
Who was pinned down by rapists
First by the system that marginalized women
And by the pervert who failed to keep his zip closed
Through all of that she rose mightier
With many accolades in her hand
A civil right activist
Three times Grammy award winner
And many honorary degrees
She stood before the leaders
Who sipped from her breast of wisdom
I come from the belly of an icon
She taught me to how to rise
In her own words she said
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
I come from the belly of an icon
Like sunrises in full daylight
Her accolade shines very bright
She rose to the heights
Where universe is forced to notice her
From the day I saw her in her glory
A poet was born
I come from the belly of an icon
With the semen of her wisdom
I was born.
A seed is to produce whether it brings forth fruit or the truth.
In life, there is a light that incites and provides insight.
Justice is taught through philosophical thoughts and the thinking of scholars.
Through her aura and her authoritative enunciation, these lexes are phrases
that parrot the life of a crusader.
The Lord loves Maya Angelou and her life transgression shows that wealth.
Maya stepped.
The core of her existence is a brick and mortar.
The purple clouds express an elaborated life.
She was animated to her focus.
Her advocacy was for what was right.
In a political arena, she erected and endured.
Prolifically versed she prevailed.
Such power asserted withstood opine of another.
Maya's treads were written to empower.
Oration I heard from heights of trouble.
Declared just a walk with the Lord, Maya’s voice would sing from the spirit
of the *****.
Discourse she would have.
She would seek the body and mind the soul and spirit of woman and of man
though her poetic dance.
Dr. Maya Angelou stepped and her life proves that.
Adieu...
____________________________________|
PENNED ON JUNE 17, 2014!
In Remembrance of Dr. Maya Angelou...
My dear dearest Maya,
This fellow poet and friend grieves so at your passing,
You were a most wonderful world poetess,
Still, you were much much more,
That wonderful dancer in you gracing the stage,
So many enjoyed your effortless swan-like movements,
Then again, you were a champion of Civil Rights in America,
Your awesome novels breaking the mind barrier of so many unaware,
You were first African-American woman to write screen play that was filmed,
Georgia, Georgia was acclaimed worldwide and nominated for Pulitzer Prize,
Your award winning poem Just 'Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie' won the Pulitzer Prize,
My dear friend your poetry quite literally changed the WORLD!,
You were such a wonderful actress, Porgy and Bess was my favorite,
Maya, your poem "On The Pulse Of Morning" was my favorite of yours,
Although it was not acclaimed by those elitist critics made no difference to me,
Your poem when recorded won you a Grammy Award,
I was so happy to see you receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom,
You were this country and the worlds gift from God my dear,
My father Albin who passed at 94 years young in 2009 was also your admirer and friend,
As you know he was President of the California AFL-CIO for 36 years and a champion of workers,
He used to sit for hours after he retired and read your wonderful novels and poetic works,
I could say so much more Maya, yet just want to say I will also celebrate your life!
We will have plenty of time to talk when I meet you in that heavenly eternity waiting,
In the meantime, please embrace my father Albin and mother Dorothy when you see them.
I love you dearest poetess and when I'm missing you will sit and read your magic words.
Robert
Mind full of wisdom, strength, hope and encouragement
Always gave inspirational talks and speeches
Yielding a transformed generation
And we shall forever treasure her contribution
A poet, actress, author, dancer, and singer
Never gave up on her dreams and ambitions
Getting through with her desire and aspire
Eternity In heaven
Like all others who left a mark on this earth
Oh God grant her
Ultimately for a life well lived
You are too dark,
too unimportant,
your stomach is bulging,
they said..
Thank God for this angel,
she didn't let negativity settle in my head,
Although I am a man,
I never thought the day would come when I would see,
myself not as a failure but phenomenally,
Ms. Angelou was a single mother,
the struggle was difficult I know it,
but she still found time to become America's favorite poet,
her words were like animals running free on a meadow,
never ending like rejection by the world while living in a ghetto,
who ever thought a black woman from Missouri could recite a poem at the inauguration,
Ms. Angelou,
you are the face of our cultures perpetuation,
you gave faith and hope to many,
including me,
Thank you angel for teaching us to live,
PHENOMENALLY..
A Tribute to Maya Angelou
She was my unmet sister.
I loved the wonder of her voice
Always so loud and clear.
I can hear it now, even in death's silence.
She speaks words of wisdom,
Heard around the world.
Words that encouraged, to give yourself
Another chance to do better...now...
That you know better.
Her words of truth, in poetry, are profound
Pouring from a heart that has known
Trials and tribulations...knowing how to forgive,
One of life's best lessons.
Her words ring out to kings, presidents and
Masses of people, from every status in life.
She was blessed with many friends
And in this we shared another 'sisterhood'.
My elder by 4 years, states and cities apart.
I wish I had met her and had shared some
Poetic thoughts.
She would have recognized a sister, we both
Being poets who loved to sing.
She will be long remembered and cherished
As a gifted poet, her words lingering forever.
Dorothy "Cynthia" Alvez
she was the paragon of allure, exquisiteness, charm and glamor
to the point people felt a hint of discomfort at first but not for long
her charisma made people adore her and feel they belong
- erudites invented the word pulchritude especially for her -
the masses flocked to learn the details of her ‘blazing eight’
all waiting with bated breath for her promised revelation
she shared her poems and they listened with great infatuation
rhymes of humor, honor, trust, peace, love, hope, gratitude and fate
AP: 1st place 2025, 2nd place 2021, 3rd place 2025
Submitted on July 10, 2018 for contest RHYME TIME 5 - LUCKY EIGHT sponsored by LAURA LOO - RANKED 2ND
GOD Grows The Poet
Who Plants Words Sweet
GOD Knows The Poet
of Beautiful Speech ...
Who, We Had For A Time
Held Like A Pink Ribboned Posy
But Is Now Lain Unto
A Bouquet Bed of Red Roses ...
As We Bewail The Day
Yearning To Banish Death's Bowman
Whose Arrows Have Now Pierced ...
"A Phenomenal Woman" *
And Now, All and "I Know
Why The Caged Bird Sings" ***
For We've Lost Dearest - Maya
A Black-Pearl, Poet-Queen! ...
And Her Words Are For Whispers
To GOD's Winds and Blue Skies
Who Desires To Hear Her Say
"and Still ... I Rise ..." **
She Was A Poet of Great Passion
Shown In Her Poems and Prose
Powerful In Her Visions
Yet Gentle Eye-Views Like A Doe's
O' GOD Bless That Poet
Whose Voice Refreshed Us Like Dew
And May We Write Poems Together
In Paradise ... me & Maya Angelou ...
* * * *
In Memoriam & Honor To:
Maya Angelou
4/ 4/ 1928 - 5/ 28/ 2014
Written & Copyrighted ©: 5/29/2014
by: MoonBee Canady
Maya Angelou was one of four poets that gave me the writing itch
for poetry ... Her words were so vibrant in the reading
Her poems cascade off the tongue like flowing rhythm-rains ...
Above, I included three of her poems in tribute (they are my favorites)
MoonBee
Part II of The Poem, Immortal, A tribute to Dr. Maya Angelou, is posted below:
... continued...
And her voice passed through me, and kissed me with a trace of grace…
And then… the voice of Maya echoed once more… again:
“I have others to see Now… you have somewhere to be Now:
An appointment with your life, so precious and rare, awaits.
Make haste, my child, make haste.”
And I ran after her voice, out onto my doorstep…
To behold the night heavens so wide and awake…
Aglow with their newest host - I stood and watched her circumnavigate,
All of the spheres that the toil of her years - and her joy - had built there.
And I could feel her voice in the gentle wind blowing…
The voice of Maya, saying to me… saying to you…
“You, child, You… oh Yes, child -Yes… Now, child - NOW”.
And NOW… she is Immortal.