The rock cries out today, you may stand on me, I will give you no hiding place down here.

We pledge you our whole hearts from this day forward.Īny broad alarm of their of their hastening doomīut today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully, To seek for you clean and well-furnished schools,Įmployment which makes use of your talents, but does not degrade your dignity. We add our voices to the voices of your ancestorsĬome up from the gloom of national neglect,Ĭome out of the shadow of irrational prejudice,įrom shame and bright beyond the telling of it. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I am the dream and the hope of the slave. We see in the distance our long way home.īringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, Trying to change our nightmares into dreams… I screamed to the heavens….loudly screamed…. I reached in the mass for the sweet honey comb there…. When the first stone looked up at the blazing sunĪnd the first tree struggled up from the forest floor We have loved each other in and out of time. IN HONOR of those who toiled and implored God with golden tongues,Īnd in gratitude to the same God who brought us out of hopeless desolation, Knowing that we are more than keepers of our brothers and sisters. Our befuddled children give birth to childrenīECAUSE we have forgotten how to love, the adversary is within our gates,Īn holds us up to the mirror of the world shouting, Here are ten poems which show that Maya was indeed “One of the brightest lights of our time.” Her poems are like lanterns shining a potent light in a dark world.īECAUSE we have lost the path our ancestors clearedīECAUSE we have banished the God of our ancestors,īECAUSE we have abandoned our wisdom of mothering and fathering, However, she will probably be remembered most for being one of America’s most celebrated poets for this is where her keen insights about life shine through. She was an author, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. Maya Angelou lived life after life in her 86 years.

Poems about change