Remembering Maya Angelou With A Collective Facebook Poem

For those of you who don’t already know, I write a poem a day on Facebook made up entirely from my friends’ Status Updates.

With the passing of the phenomenal woman, Maya Angelou–poet, activist, teacher, survivor, author, playwright, director, this week, I wanted to share the Facebook poem written on the day she left us.  There was, on that day, such an outpouring of love and remembrance, and it continues still with posts of her many inspirational quotes, and videos of her reading her work, and even of Ms. Angelou’s last tweet:

I can recall from time to time on social media I’d see, primarily, women of color, post a poem of hers–Phenomenal Women, or Rise, or, reference I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, and relate how the poet’s words spoke to them, healed them, inspired them.  Yet, I know during her lifetime, and I am witnessing in her passing, that Maya Angelou was revered by all of humanity–whether brown, black or white, people are mourning her loss, and celebrating the gifts she bestowed upon all of us with her genius, compassion, her fight for what was right, and for how she lived her life being who she truly was.

I know that this is a time where I can grow and be enriched by returning to and reading more of Ms. Angelou’s work.  Here is the poem that was written using many of my friends’ voices on the day that this great woman left us.

Facebook Poem 5/28/14

#ripmayaangelou
a remarkable woman…
“you done been through
some things”
thank you Maya Angelou
for your words, your presence,
your joy, your love
“with Maya Angelou’s passing,
America has lost a
national treasure”
but the world has lost
a brilliant soul
unbearable. and borne. no words.
and, there are a few people
who leave this world
truly the less when
they leave us behind
she will be missed but
her gifts to us all
will live on
your words will live
forever in my soul
speak life into
every soul you
talk to today
#grace #dignity #shero
#mayaangelou #rip

Thanks to this day’s poem contributors:  Mary-Fran Honeyman, Carmen Head (a Maya Angelou quote), Keith Thompson, Ken Harge, Hilton Als, Rodney L. Davis, David Still, Kelly Quinn, Adrienne Wallace, Denitra Letrice