Maya Angelou

An updated collection of the inspirational late writer's complete body of poetry includes her reflections on African-American life inJust Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie and her tribute to Nelson Mandela,His Day Is Done.

The Complete Poetry

The beauty and spirit of Maya Angelou’s words live on in this complete collection of poetry, including her inaugural poem “On the Pulse of Morning” Throughout her illustrious career in letters, Maya Angelou gifted, healed, and inspired the world with her words. Now the beauty and spirit of those words live on in this new and complete collection of poetry that reflects and honors the writer’s remarkable life. Every poetic phrase, every poignant verse can be found within the pages of this sure-to-be-treasured volume—from her reflections on African American life and hardship in the compilation Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie (“Though there’s one thing that I cry for / I believe enough to die for / That is every man’s responsibility to man”) to her revolutionary celebrations of womanhood in the poem “Still I Rise” (“Out of the huts of history’s shame / I rise / Up from a past that’s rooted in pain / I rise”) to her “On the Pulse of Morning” tribute at President William Jefferson Clinton’s inauguration (“Lift up your eyes upon / The day breaking for you. / Give birth again / To the dream.”). Maya Angelou: The Complete Poetry also features her final long-form poems, including “A Brave and Startling Truth,” “Amazing Peace,” “His Day Is Done,” and the honest and endearing Mother: “I feared if I let you go You would leave me eternally. You smiled at my fears, saying I could not stay in your lap forever” This collection also includes the never-before-published poem “Amazement Awaits,” commissioned for the 2008 Olympic Games: “We are here at the portal of the world we had wished for At the lintel of the world we most need. We are here roaring and singing. We prove that we can not only make peace, we can bring it with us.” Timeless and prescient, this definitive compendium will warm the hearts of Maya Angelou’s most ardent admirers as it introduces new readers to the legendary poet, activist, and teacher—a phenomenal woman for the ages.

Celeste Richardson

Actual rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up.
“You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
Poetry is this fascinating dichotomy of autobiographical and subjective. Every poem says something about its poet, and yet every poem is completely dependent on the life experiences and imagination of its reader for whatever meaning they wring from it. Taking that into consideration, some of these poems resonated with me. Deeply. And some left me completely unmoved, or vaguely confused. But those that spoke to me are what I’ll remember about this collection.
“History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.”
Angelou’s style is all over the board. Evidently I’m a traditionalist when it comes to poetic forms. I like free-verse well enough, but ironically only if it has some structure. I was incapable of connecting with the less structured of Angelou’s poems, but thankfully this didn’t hold true for her entire catalogue, as her style was so fluid and ever-changing.
“We are born in pain, then relief comes.
We are lost in the dark, then day breaks.
We are confused, confounded, and fearful,
Then faith takes our hand.
We stumble and fumble and fall,
Then, we rise.”
I kept reminding myself that this wasn’t a traditional collection, where the poet had carefully compiled each poem to embody a certain theme, or period in their life, or some other binding quality. This book collected every poem Angelou ever wrote. No one produces profound, flawless art every time their pen meets the page. But within these pages were some intensely powerful poems, lines that ruffle feathers or shake cores or move hearts in ways that are difficult to describe. I can absolutely see why Angelou made such a mark on society, both through her life and her poetry. I might not have loved every poem in her body of work, but I’m very glad to have read them.

The Complete Poetry

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