by: Maya Angelou
We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.
This poem is such a contrast to the other poem, "Still I Rise," that someone else posted on their blog. This poem makes Maya Angelou seem so delicate and soft whereas "Still I Rise" makes her seem indestructible and careless of what others think. It's nice to see that she does have that sweet, soft, womanly side, but I think "Still I Rise" is a much stronger poem that sets her apart from all the other poets who write about finding love.
ReplyDeleteMaya Angelou is an excellent writer. I only had the pleasure of reading "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" which was such a great book. I never actually read any of her poetry so thank you for posting this! My favorite part is the last five lines in the third stanza...
ReplyDelete"And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free."
^ so beautiful and so true!