Join the Poetry Friday round-up with Diane over at Random Noodling.
Photo from Maya Angelou visits YCP 2013 on Flickr
I suspect that Poetry Friday will be full of posts about Maya Angelou. She died this week at the age of 86. She was a gentle giant, a force in the world, an inspiration for us all. I spent the last few days absorbed in Maya’s wisdom, watching YouTube videos, reading articles, and reading her poetry. I was inspired to write a poem, an elegy. At first, I thought it would be created around her words, so I copied 13 quotes from USA Today. But when I started writing, the poem became my first sestina. Whoa, Maya, I didn’t think I had this in me. You are indeed an inspiration!
The Lessons of Maya
Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.
Her words touched many hearts,
this phenomenal woman
with volumes of work,
a head full of rhyming curls,
she made us feel
with her deep toned voicespeaking, “I will raise my voice!”
finger pointing to heaven’s heart,
she strived to thrive, feel
compassion of a passionate woman.
Her hand to my hand curls
around my calloused workenveloped in her precious work.
She knew who heard her voice
above all others; her curls
were born to adorn our hearts.
Now with Him eternally, this woman
will always make us feelthat we have every right to feel
worthy in our daily work
living as a phenomenal woman
lifting this one and only voice
to touch as many hearts
as hairs on her head curl,Like the contrail in the sky curls,
we are called to feel
no barriers in our hearts.
Our deep and strong voices
can make forces work
driven by this one woman.Believe in your woman-
the specialness of your curls.
Believe you have a voice.
Don’t fear to feel.
Find your glorious work
and what feeds your soul and heart.Find the voice of your heart.
Yes, God made woman his best work.
Make the time to feel
Alive.–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved
Reflections on the Teche 
Isn’t it great when something like this just happens, Margaret? What a week of remembering it has been for this special woman who has touched so many lives. I love “a head full of rhyming curls”.
This is beautiful, Margaret. A fitting tribute to a memorable woman. Long may she live in America’s heart.
Bravo! Beautiful poem, Margaret. Especially love the last two stanzas. 🙂
I never realized what a great form the sestina is for biographical poems. Of course, Dr. Angelou led a BIG life. I especially loved how you used “curls” in each line.
This is just gorgeous, Margaret– clearly it’s been liberated from a place deep inside. Like Diane said, a fitting tribute.
A gentle giant–what a perfect description of Angelou. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in poetry. I am going to cling to the notion that “that we have every right to feel worthy in our daily work.”
Wow. You rocked that form while writing something really moving. The use of repetition is so fitting for Maya Angelou’s style, and I love the words you chose. I’ve been thinking about her so much, too.
Glorious! This is my favorite bit:
“Like the contrail in the sky curls,
we are called to feel
no barriers in our hearts.”
[…] « Lessons from Maya […]
What a wonderful tribute, Margaret. We will miss her…