ADIEU MAYA ANGELOU

What can one say about Dr. Maya Angelou ? Her numerous fans will talk about her books; her beautiful poems, her plays, movies her T.V shows as well as her active role in the Civil Rights movement. When she was alive, I followed her on Twitter. Though I never tweeted  her, I always made sure I read her tweets, which were usually wise sayings. Her last one was on May 23th, 2014; which reads...

Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God.
— Maya Angelou (@DrMayaAngelou) May 23, 2014

Dr. Maya Angelou was a very remarkable woman. Not just because of what she accomplished but how she started in the beginning and forged ahead. She experienced racism, sexual molestation and a period when she couldn't talk after that sad incident. But she created a niche for herself after discovering her love for books; thus became the woman we will always remember. She was very open about her past in her autobiographies; her struggles made her even more human. Aside from her writing, she learnt several languages, was one of the advocates of Civil Rights and Education. Here in Nigeria, her book "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" is widely read; I found a few copies at a book stand in The University of Lagos. 

In Tyler Perry's 2006 movie "Madea's Family Reunion", Dr. Angelou had a cameo role and recited this lovely poem in the wedding scene: 

The sun has come.
The mist has gone.
We see in the distance…
our long way home.
I was always yours to have.
You were always mine.

We have loved each other in and out of time.

When the first stone looked up at the blazing sun
and the first tree struggled up from the forest floor
I had always loved you more.
You freed your braids…
gave your hair to the breeze.
It hummed like a hive of honey bees.
I reached in the mass for the sweet honey comb there….
Mmmm…God how I love your hair.

You saw me bludgeoned by circumstance.
Lost, injured, hurt by chance.
I screamed to the heavens….loudly screamed….
Trying to change our nightmares into dreams…

The sun has come.
The mist has gone.
We see in the distance our long way home.
I was always yours to have.
You were always mine.
We have loved each other in and out
in and out
in and out
of time.

And there was her memorable poem in 1993's "Poetic Justice": PHENOMENAL WOMAN; from her 1978's "And Still I Rise" 

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me. 

Today, a very remarkable woman has passed on to the world beyond. And the world will never forget her as we pray to God to grant her soul eternal rest.

My wish for you is joy. When you wish someone joy, you wish peace, love, prosperity, health, happiness... all the good things.
— Maya Angelou (@DrMayaAngelou) November 12, 2013