ˇ¶The Poetry of Maya Angelouˇ· A Conceit Give me your hand Make room for me to lead and follow you beyond try. Let others have the privacy of touching words and love of loss of love. For me Give me your hand. Alone Lying, thinking Last night o find my soul a home er is not ty And bread loaf is not stone I came up hing And I dont believe Im wrong t nobody, But nobody Can make it out here alone. Alone, all alone Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone. there are some millionaires it use their wives run round like banshees the blues t expensive doctors to cure ts of stone. But nobody No, nobody Can make it out here alone. Alone, all alone Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone. Noen closely Ill tell you w I know Storm clouds are gathering the wind is gonna blow the race of man is suffering And I can he moan, Cause nobody, But nobody Can make it out here alone. Alone, all alone Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings the free bird leaps on the win and floats doream till t ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky. But a bird t stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and are tied so to sing. the caged bird sings rill of things unknown but longed for still and is tune is heard on tant he caged bird sings of freedom ther breeze an trade trees and t ing on a da lawn and he sky his own. But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams s on a nightmare scream are tied so to sing the caged bird sings rill of things unknown but longed for still and une is heard on tant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. Insomniac ts when sleep plays coy, aloof and disdainful. And all the wiles t I employ to win its service to my side are useless as wounded pride, and much more painful. Men o atcains As men reet. ino men, old men. Young men sard. See them. Men are always Going somewhere. teen Years old and starving for them. Under my hey would pauses, the Breasts of a young girl, Jacket tails slapping over those behinds, Men. One day the Palms of tle, as if you ere t rahen tig a little. the First squeeze is nice. A quick hug. Soft into your defenselessness. A little More. t begins. renc a Smile t slides around the Air disappears, Your mind pops, exploding fiercely, briefly, Like tcctered. It is your juice t runs doaining their shoes. s itself again, And taste tries to return to tongue, Your body . Forever. No keys exist. the window draws full upon Your mind. t beyond tains, men walk. Knohing. Going someplace. But time, I will simply Stand and ch. Maybe. Million Man March Poem t has been long, the wound has been deep, t has been dark, And teep. Under a dead blue sky on a distant beach, I beyond your reach. Your ied, your mouth was bound, You couldnt even call out my name. You were helpless and so was I, But unfortunately t ory Youve worn a badge of shame. I say, t has been long, the wound has been deep, t has been dark And teep. But today, voices of old spirit sound Speak to us in words profound, Across turies, Across the seas. to one another, Save your race. You ant place, t slaverys chains have paid for our freedom again and again. t has been long, t has been deep, t has been dark, And teep. till, oughened our will. t has been long. through your anguish Rigo your soul. I kno her we can make ourselves whole. I look ture and past your disguise, And see your love for family in your big brown eyes. I say, clap s come togeting ground, I say, clap s deal h love, I say, clap us get from the low road of indifference, Clap us come togets, Let us come togets, Let us come together and cleanse our souls, Clap s leave the preening And stop impostering our own ory. Clap s back from the ledge, Clap us invite joy into our conversation, Courtesy into our bedrooms, Gentleness into our kitchen, Care into our nursery. tors remind us, despite tory of pain e are a going-on people who will rise again. And still we rise. Momma Welfare Roll triangles, Pudgy hands bunched on layered hips back And lima beans. ion Of crimes clich¨¦d by Repetition. rangers to coys, play Best the games of darkened doorways, Rooftop tag, and knohe slick feel of Oty. too fat to whore, too mad to work, Searche Lucky sign and walks bare-handed Into a den of bereaucrats for ion. t give me welfare. I take it. Passing Time Your skin like dawn Mine like musk One paints the beginning of a certain end. the end of a sure beginning. Phenomenal Woman Pretty women wonder w lies. Im not cute or built to suit a fashion models size But to tell them, telling lies. I say, Its in the reach of my arms the span of my hips, tride of my step, the curl of my lips. Im a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, ts me. I o a room Just as cool as you please, And to a man, tand or Fall doheir knees. they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees. I say, Its the fire in my eyes, And teeth, t, And t. Im a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, ts me. Men themselves have wondered they see in me. try so much But t touch My inner mystery. ry to shem till cant see. I say, Its in the arch of my back, the sun of my smile, ts, tyle. Im a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, ts me. Noand Just w bowed. I dont s or jump about Or o talk real loud. hen you see me passing It ougo make you proud. I say, Its in the click of my heels, the bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, the need of my care, Cause Im a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, ts me. Refusal Beloved, In her lives or lands have I known your lips Your hands Your Laughter brave Irreverent. t excesses t I do adore. surety is there t again, On other worlds some Future time undated. I defy my bodys e. it the promise Of one more s encounter I deign to die. Remembrance Your hands easy he bees the slope of my che occasion, you press above me, gloing readiness, mystery rapes my reason hdrawn your self and the magic, when only the smell of your love lingers between my breasts, then, only then, can I greedily consume your presence. Still I Rise You may e me down in ory itter, ted lies, You may trod me in t But still, like dust, Ill rise. Does my sassiness upset you? h gloom? Cause I oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, itainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still Ill rise. Did you to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Seardrops. eakened by my soulful cries. Does my iness offend you? Dont you take it awful hard Cause I laug gold mines Diggin in my own back yard. You may s me h your words, You may cut me h your eyes, You may kill me efulness, But still, like air, Ill rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise t I dance like Ive got diamonds At ting of my thighs? Out of ts of orys shame I rise Up from a past ts rooted in pain I rise Im a black ocean, leaping and wide, elling and side. Leaving bes of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak ts wondrously clear I rise Bringing ts t my ancestors gave, I am the slave. I rise I rise I rise. The Detached e die, elcoming Bluebeards to our darkening closets, Stranglers to our outstretched necks, Stranglers, wher care nor care to kno DEAtERNAL. e pray, Savoring s teethed lies, Bellying the grounds before alien gods, Gods, wher know nor ERNAL. e love, Rubbing th gloved hands, Inverting our moutongued kisses, Kisses t neitouch nor care to touch if LOVE IS INtERNAL. The Lesson I keep on dying again. Veins collapse, opening like the Small fists of sleeping Children. Memory of old tombs, Rotting flesh and worms do Not convince me against the years And cold defeat live deep in Lines along my face. t I keep on dying, Because I love to live. The Rock Cries Out to Us Today A Rock, A River, A tree s to species long since departed, Mark todon. t dry tokens Of their sojourn here On our planet floor, Any broad alarm of tening doom Is lost in t and ages. But today, t to us, clearly, forcefully, Come, you may stand upon my Back and face your distant destiny, But seek no haven in my shadow. I will give you no hiding place down here. You, created only a little lohan too long in the bruising darkness, oo long Face down in ignorance. Your mouths spelling words Armed for slaughter. t today, you may stand on me, But do not hide your face. Across the world, A river sings a beautiful song, Come rest here by my side. Eacry, Delicate and strangely made proud, Yet ting perpetually under siege. Your armed struggles for profit collars of e upon My ss of debris upon my breast. Yet, today I call you to my riverside, If you udy war no more. Come, clad in peace and I he songs tor gave to me when I And tree and stone were one. Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your brow And ill knehing. the river sings and sings on. true yearning to respond to the wise rock. So say the Jew, tive American, the Sioux, the Greek, t, the Sheikh, traighe Preacher, teacher. they all hear tree. today, t and last of every tree Speaks to o me, he river. Plant yourself beside me, he river. Eac of some passed on traveller, has been paid for. You, w name, You Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, You Cion, h me, t, Left me to t of other seekers-- Desperate for gain, starving for gold. You, turk, t... You ti, the Kru, Bougolen, arriving on a nightmare Praying for a dream. yourselves beside me. I am tree planted by the river, be moved. I, tree I am yours--your passages have been paid. Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need For t morning dawning for you. ory, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, and if faced h courage, Need not be lived again. Lift up your eyes upon the day breaking for you. Give birth again to the dream. omen, children, men, take it into the palms of your hands. Mold it into t Private need. Sculpt it into t public self. Lift up your s. Each new hour holds new chances For new beginnings. Do not be wedded forever to fear, yoked eternally to brutishness. the horizon leans forward, Offering you space to place neeps of change. his fine day You may he courage to look up and out upon me, tree, your country. No less to Midas t. No less to you noodon then. his new day You may o look up and out And into your sisters eyes, Into your brotry And say simply Very simply ith hope Good morning. They Went Home t old their wives, t never once in all their lives, hey known a girl like me, But... t home. they said my house was licking clean, no word I spoke was ever mean, I ery, But... t home. My praises were on all mens lips, t, my hips, t, or three. But... Touched by an Angel e, unaccustomed to courage exiles from delight live coiled in shells of loneliness until love leaves its emple and comes into our sight to liberate us into life. Love arrives and in its train come ecstasies old memories of pleasure ancient ories of pain. Yet if we are bold, love strikes ahe chains of fear from our souls. e are imidity In t we dare be brave And suddenly we see t love costs all we are and will ever be. Yet it is only love ws us free. Weekend Glory Some clichty folks dont knos, posin and preenin and puttin on acts, stretcheir backs. to condos up over the ranks, paheir souls to the local banks. Buying big cars t afford, ridin around town actin bored. If t to learn o live life right t to study me on Saturday night. My job at t aint t bet, but I pay my bills and stay out of debt. I get my hair done for my own selfs sake, so I dont o pick and I dont o rake. take t and own to my friend girls house where we plan our round. e meet our men and go to a joint whe music is blue and to t. Folks e about me. t cant see how I work all week at tory. t spruced up and laugh and dance And turn away from worry h sassy glance. they accuse me of livin from day to day, but whey kiddin? So are they. My life aint heaven but it sure aint hell. Im not on top but I call it swell if Im able to work and get paid right and o be Black on a Saturday night. When You Come o me, unbidden, Beckoning me to long-ago rooms, here memories lie. Offering me, as to a ctic, Gatoo few. Baubles of stolen kisses. trinkets of borrowed loves. trunks of secret words, I CRY. Woman Work Ive got to tend to mend to mop to shop to fry to dry I got company to feed to weed Ive got ss to press tots to dress to be cut I gotta clean up t t the sick And tton to pick. Shine on me, sunshine Rain on me, rain Fall softly, dewdrops And cool my brow again. Storm, blow me from here it wind Let me float across the sky til I can rest again. Fall gently, snowflakes Cover me e Cold icy kisses and Let me rest tonight. Sun, rain, curving sky Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone Star shine, moon glow Youre all t I can call my own.