I am overwhelmed by my experience on Sunday night. I spent an hour and half of my life sharing the same space as Dr. Maya Angelou. She commanded her audience with her poetry and her singing. Anything I say here will not justify what I heard, felt or experienced while occupying the same space as Maya Angelou.
Her story epitomizes resilience. At age 3, Maya and her brother, who was 5, were shipped to their grandmother, who lived in Stamps, AR. Do you know how she made it her grandmother’s house? She and her brother were placed on a train from California, unattended without an adult, with a wrist band that listed her grandmother’s name and the words Stamp, AR. They made it to Stamps safely, but only because various porters on the train cared enough to make certain they reached their destination. Her journey at age five is something I acutely sensed only because my own daughter is five. I believe that Maya’s journey on this train, gave birth to her own resilience for her future.
For at least four years Maya spent time with her father’s mother, her grandmother. Without warning, at age 7 her father decided to return and took Maya and her brother back to their mother’s home. It is there where Maya was raped by her mother’s boyfriend at age 7. She told her brother, who told the family. The rapist, Freeman, was found guilty, only to be jailed for one day and then released. Several days later he was killed, probably by Maya’s uncles. For the next five years, Maya Angelou did not speak, stating that “I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone…”
During this time period, she described that her whole body morphed into one big ear. She listened. All of the time. She credits her teacher, Ms. Bertha Flowers for giving her life again. Ms. Flowers introduced Maya to Dickens, Shakespeare, James Weldon Johnson, as well as others. She studied her way through high school, focusing on drama and dance. Three weeks after she graduated, at age 17, she gave birth to her only son. The period between 17 and 19 were particularly difficult, a single mother’s slide into poverty and crime.
Despite her tumultuous childhood and her struggle as a single mother, she remained resilient. Throughout her lecture last night, Maya emphasized how “To be able to go back and see how powerful your light can be on someone else’s path,” she said, “you have no idea who you will lift up by becoming a rainbow.” She continued to say that “God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us-in the dreariest and most dreaded moments-can see a possibility of hope.”
She emphasized how much each of us were alike than different. We are all human beings and as she says it, “different languages are only bridges to other people.” As she said her words, there was silence in the auditorium. She didn’t speak at a podium, but sitting down, in a lovely creme colored dress. Her smile and her humor captivated me and I was grateful to be in her presence. I leave you with an excerpt of her poem that she composed for the United Nations to commemorate their 50th anniversary. In it, I believe, you feel the theme of resilience. That we all are natural wonders of the world.
A Brave & Startling Truth
We, this people, on this small and drifting planet
Whose hands can strike with such abandon
That in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living
Yet those same hands can touch with such healing, irresistible tenderness
That the haughty neck is happy to bow
And the proud back is glad to bend
Out of such chaos, of such contradiction
We learn that we are neither devils nor divines
When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear
When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.
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Have you been touched by the words of Dr. Angelou or another? How have you been resilient in your own life?
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
I recently watched a special on Maya Angelou…only endeared me more. Her words always touch me deeply. Thank you for sharing, Rudri.
Wow, Rudri – I am so jealous you shared the same space with her. It must have been quite a night.
Her poetry is one of the reasons I decided on my major in literature. Her resilience is awe-inspiring, as are her words. Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise continue to be favorites of mine.
I am so awestruck by her. What a life, and what a spirit. Truly inspiring.
She is SO inspiring. I couldn’t believe I was in the same room with her. There was so much she said in that ninety minutes that I couldn’t even absorb it all. It’s awesome that she is so giving of her own knowledge. Thanks for stopping by!
I did not know those details of Maya Angelou’s life! What a breath-taking story of resilience. I am deeply touched by her words “you have no idea who you will lift up by becoming a rainbow.” She is an example of that rainbow, despite all of the clouds and storms she has experienced. And what an encouragement for all of us, that despite our own trials and challenges, God can cause them to work for good by making us that rainbow for someone else who is just entering the storm. So glad you got to be there, Rudri!
Rudri,
How fortunate for you to be able to spend this time with such a gifted lady!
The essence of the words you quote makes me think of how every time a teacher (or any signficant adult) takes time to connect with a child, they are opening the possibilities of making a difference in a life and impacting the future as a whole because all living things are connected.
My husband and I had the good fortune of being caregivers to our four young grandchildren for the past three days. Although we are a little tired, the connection we made and the time we shared makes a difference for our grandchildren and hopefully reaches out and makes difference in the world of the future. We were both blessed to have grandparents who were strong, true and caring and they made a difference in our lives. And, now the rainbow continues to flourish as we get a chance to repay the gift!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience.
Trhsi
Thank you for sharing some of thoughts about this special night. I can see I really missed out by not going so I appreciated reading your post. A quote of Maya’s inspires me and what I do in Wise Women Write: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Her long period of silence certainly explains why she said this. But today I’m going to remember what she said to the audience last night, “You have no idea who you will lift up by becoming a rainbow.” Wow! If we could all remember to do that, each and every day. Thank you for sharing your beautiful colors, Rudri. They did indeed lift me up on this dreary Monday morning!
I’m a huge Maya Angelou fan too! Glad you got to see her speak live. My favorite MA poem is Phenomenal Woman. I reread it anytime I need a boost.
I didn’t know her story…that’s amazing.
Thank you for sharing this.
I hadn’t heard that story of the train. That is astonishing – and horrifying – and remarkable, that they arrived where they needed to be.
Gorgeous poem. A woman who is an inspiration. What an experience that must have been, Rudri!
Wow- I never knew the full story of her childhood…It’s a great reminder too, about the importance of teachers. Ms. Flowers is one of many who have given a new life to a child in one way or another.
Wow! She’s such an astounding human being, poet and artist. Thanks for sharing this experience with us! Am inspired!
Wow, I didn’t know her story either. Totally inspiring. If she can handle these challenges and still see goodness in the world, then surely I can too.
I love Maya Angelou. I loved her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” and so have read about her life. What a gift to share an hour or so with her. She truly is amazing.
I remember on Oprah one time she asked “Do your eyes light up with your child walks into the room?”
That has stayed with me, and I’d like to think they do.