One poet whose spirit flourishes in her poetry as can be read in the following lines from her poem entitled "The Rock Cries Out To Us Today."
The rock cries out today, you may stand on me,
But do not hide your face.
Across the wall of the world,
A river sings a beautiful song,
Come rest here by my side.
Each of you a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.
Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet, today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more.
Come, clad in peace and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I
And the tree and stone were one.
For the poem in its entirety, click onto the following website:
http://www.empirezine.com/spotlight/maya...
The use of first and second person in the above lines immediately draws the reader's attention, thoughts, and feelings. The images of a rock and river are common yet each reader develops her or his own connotation of identification. One of the obvious symbolic meanings is that a rock is strong, always there, though slowly eroded by the eternal flow of the river. Active verbs provide another way that helps readers to identify with the poet's spirit. These literary characteristics remain visible and powerful throughout Maya's poetry.
Maya, a poet who sows legends and harvests history, began her gathering of life's experiences in St. Louis, Missouri where she was born on April 4, 1928. Due to her parents divorce, her early years were spent living with her grandmother along with younger brother Bailey in Stamps, Arkansas. These years imprinted Maya with very strict boundaries set for black girls. Despite the harshness of society's rules, Maya thrived on pride instilled by her grandmother. The following poem illustrates her ability to reach beyond social norms.
"Passing Time"
Your skin like dawn
Mine like musk
One paints the beginning
of a certain end.
The other, the end of a
sure beginning.
http://www.empirezine.com/spotlight/maya...
Around five years old, Maya returned to live with her mother in St. Louis. This proved to be a tragic move for her mother's boyfriend raped her. The horror of the incident resulted in Maya being mute for several years. Eventually, she moved back with her grandmother who began the slow process of healing for Maya.
Later years, she attempted to live with her mother, then her father. Both parents led very dysfunctional lives. At one time, Maya even lived in old beaten up cars. Her given name is Marguerite Johnson. In her early twenties she was given the name Maya Angelou after her debut performance as a dancer at the Purple Onion cabaret.
The rock cries out today, you may stand on me,
But do not hide your face.
Across the wall of the world,
A river sings a beautiful song,
Come rest here by my side.
Each of you a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.
Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet, today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more.
Come, clad in peace and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I
And the tree and stone were one.
For the poem in its entirety, click onto the following website:
http://www.empirezine.com/spotlight/maya...
The use of first and second person in the above lines immediately draws the reader's attention, thoughts, and feelings. The images of a rock and river are common yet each reader develops her or his own connotation of identification. One of the obvious symbolic meanings is that a rock is strong, always there, though slowly eroded by the eternal flow of the river. Active verbs provide another way that helps readers to identify with the poet's spirit. These literary characteristics remain visible and powerful throughout Maya's poetry.
Maya, a poet who sows legends and harvests history, began her gathering of life's experiences in St. Louis, Missouri where she was born on April 4, 1928. Due to her parents divorce, her early years were spent living with her grandmother along with younger brother Bailey in Stamps, Arkansas. These years imprinted Maya with very strict boundaries set for black girls. Despite the harshness of society's rules, Maya thrived on pride instilled by her grandmother. The following poem illustrates her ability to reach beyond social norms.
"Passing Time"
Your skin like dawn
Mine like musk
One paints the beginning
of a certain end.
The other, the end of a
sure beginning.
http://www.empirezine.com/spotlight/maya...
Around five years old, Maya returned to live with her mother in St. Louis. This proved to be a tragic move for her mother's boyfriend raped her. The horror of the incident resulted in Maya being mute for several years. Eventually, she moved back with her grandmother who began the slow process of healing for Maya.
Later years, she attempted to live with her mother, then her father. Both parents led very dysfunctional lives. At one time, Maya even lived in old beaten up cars. Her given name is Marguerite Johnson. In her early twenties she was given the name Maya Angelou after her debut performance as a dancer at the Purple Onion cabaret.
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