About three years ago a dear friend of mine and I hustled on down to The University of Maryland to hear her speak from the wellspring of her heart. We patiently approached and became a part of the queue that stretched wide and far awaiting a glimpse of this phenomenal woman. As early as we arrived, we still found ourselves a little beyond the mid section of the auditorium where she was later seated. And when that voice that sounds like waters began to pour out over us, we forgot that we weren’t that close to her. It didn’t matter because she made us feel as if we were sitting at her feet.
Thank you, Dr. Angelou for touching all of us!
MARY ANGELA DOUGLAS
PEACH SWUNG IN THE VERNACULAR, DAY AFTER MAYA DIED
“Do I dare to eat a peach?”
-T.S. Eliot, The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock
to Maya Angelou and those who loved her
go ahead on and eat that peach, Mr. Eliot
it’s clear you’ve been away too long
from all the Peach Streets of America
and those old orchards raining their thick golden rains
it’s positively Providential:it’s our
hard turning ot the ice cream stile
we make our own miracles with the help of Sweet Jesus
my oh my my my
peachalicious charming in her Sunday hat
her caftans, gowns, long strands of beads
she was all that and more
every day of the week she’s gone now
from our small town
I’ll never sit down to her caramel cake
a fantasy of mine on my dessertless days
it wasn’t her poems that mattered the most
just like it wasn’t the peach that really mattered to T.S.
it was the goldenness in her oozing out in a voice,
a dusky goldenness, a dark lily shining
insisting you notice something – Life!
and sit up straight
a voice fit for Shakespeare’s queens, a tragedienne’s dream
but she wasn’t that.
she stirred up- something –
everywhere she went
her smile like a huge valentine-volcano
her voice like dark pearls spilling over
beyond the reach of the low flyers always
daring, Mr. Eliot
to eat that peach
and ask for so many more
mary angela douglas 29 may 2014
Phyllis
Thank you for being an inspiration to many people around the world and a revolutionary to this upcoming and previous generations the world has truly lost a gifted beautiful soul
Eric Stevens ’87
I was privileged to take a course from Dr. Angelou in the 1980’s and she was a teacher like none I have ever had. The first moment of the first day of class she asked everyone to state their names and told us that, from that day forward, she would remember them. She then shared with us a smorgasbord of mind-opening experiences, from slave narrative readings to in-class debates on difficult issues to dinner at her house with her friend Alex Haley. Many years later I saw her in Durham at a dance performance and approached her with my wife to say “hello.” True to her word, she remembered me and exclaimed “HELLO YOUNG MR. STEVENS” in her booming baritone voice, much to my wife’s delight. She will be greatly missed.
Ken Robinson
I first saw Maya Angelou in the lobby of Reynolda Hall at Wake Forest University in the early 1970s. She was reading from her recent book and holding an open seminar for students. At the time, I had no idea who she was or what she wrote, but in the short time I stopped to listen, I knew she had something important to say. It was certainly a memorable moment. Soon afterwards I read her Caged Bird book, and it opened my eyes to aspects of life that were so different from my own experiences, while offering many universal lessons and truths. Truly a great person.
Lucille M. Espey-Francis
I heard Ms. Angelou in person at Muskingum College in 1970. It is our loss now that she is gone. Perhaps we can strive to preserve her in spirit.
Carrie Hawk
You made me laugh.
You made me cry.
You made me think.
Thank you.
Angie Silver
You will forever be missed. You left your print on this world that will never be forgotten. RIP Dr. Angelou <3
Danielle Perkins
Thank you Dr. Angelou for your words of wisdom and encouragement. You will greatly be missed. I am glad that the world was able to give you your flowers while you were living. We all know that you are in a better place now where you can share you poetic words to the angels above. Rest in Paradise.
Sonya Kiser, MAEd ’94
Dr. Angelou’s works resonate with people of all ages, creeds and races. As a NC high school teacher and a Wake Forest grad, I am always proud to introduce my freshmen to her as a NC resident and professor at my alma mater.
As Shakespeare wrote of poetry in Sonnet 18: “So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see/ So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” Dr. Angelou lives through her writing, wisdom and words. She is a woman for the ages.
Jocelyn Brannon
Maya Angelou died yesterday morning
In a southern city of my homeland.
She died and now I weep for the people.
Don’t you?
Does it not pain you in some way to know of this loss to our community?
Do you not feel an ache deep within your soul at the knowledge of no more Maya?
No more Marguerite?
She said things with words that were powerful.
Her words
That she wrote and spoke were powerful and she used them with such care.
She was not frivolous in her use of the language like so many of us others.
And so I weep.
I weep because her Legacy is immense and wide,
Her literary and artistic work so broad and deep,
Such that her passing reveals a great big ‘ole hole.
There
In the middle of that hole
Is a set of tremendous footprints
Of shoes
That we only have a few that can fill.
We have Pearl. We have Melissa. We have Nikki of course, but who else?
We need so many others and they are too few for the work that needs doing.
The job is so big these days that it now requires many, many Maya’s to hold back the wave of ignorance and in-articulation that threatens the people.
Her light shone so bright that I weep
For fear that going forward no other lights will be able to illuminate the dark
Even were they gathered together in collective artistry could their lights shine even half as bright?
Beacons of intelligence, centered honesty with oneself and others
Great understanding of the importance of One’s Self to the struggle and the fight for Right and Others.
The voice to encourage diligence in the efforts to improve mankind and remind him of the beautiful parts of his nature and the brutal animal that with out a Cautious Posture he may be.
I weep, because her passing reminds me that I have work to do
That I do not want to do
That I did not have to do because she was here.
But now she is gone and how on God’s earth can I and others do our part?
How? For I am nothing.
I hid behind her words, her scoldings, her reminders
She did it best.
She did it with dance. She did it with song.
She did it even with film, and paper, and script.
She did it with The Stage.
She
Told the world about Me and about Us and about Them.
I did not have to say a thing.
I did not have to write a sentence. I did not have to dance one step or sing one note.
I did not have to define an emotion and existence because she was there to do it.
But she is gone
And I weep for myself and the people.
“She told the world about me and about us and about them.”
Sarah B
Thank you! Thank you for sharing your voice and your articulation of some of life’s greatest struggles and crossroads in a way that connects to the soul and highlights the humanity and equality in in life. Your presence will be greatly missed but your impact will remain enduring!
James O. White
I was privileged to be able to hear and read your words. Words that seem to come from God’s own mouth. What a great honor he bestowed upon us with the gift of your life. Even as I write this note my eyes fill with tears. I hear your words and my heart fills with hope and my soul weighs heavy with the loss of you. God has you back now, rest in peace great warrior.
Cynthia Farr
You are my inspiration to keep painting I shall miss you a lot.
Omobolawa Olagoke
I wish I had known this gem of a woman. You will greatly be missed Dr. Angelou. I didn’t know you, but listening to you and reading your works makes made me feel like I truly did. Dr. Angelou, I will never forget the way you made me feel. You will truly be missed.
Terri G Raven
Oh how I wish I could have taken your class. I read your books and poems at the most formative time in my life and I consider that a great blessing. I then heard you speak twice while I was attending the University of Texas At Austin, and to say it was moving is an understatement. I was transfixed. Few people impact the world the way that you did. What an extraordinary life you had and how extraordinarily you shared it with the world. May your beautiful soul rest in peace and derive eternal pleasure in witnessing the lives you touched.
Douglas
I took a workshop with you and Dolly McPherson, your friend. You lit up the room. People listened to you. You shined. We respected you and learned from you. Thank you.
Karen Payne
I cried when I heard the news announcement this morning. Dr. Angelou, thank you for your life, teachings, impact, and legacy!
Ethan Groce
Forever I will remember hearing Dr. Angelou speak at the MLK, Jr. Celebration hosted by OMA in January 2010. She spoke with such grace and it was all off the cuff! She had no prepared remarks, just her personal memories of a great man and friend. That was the beauty of it. She spoke from the heart and I loved every minute of it. Dr. Angelou, I was never fortunate enough to meet you personally but I will miss you and your loving spirit. Thank you for all you have done on behalf of Wake Forest University and the world!
Dr. Edward E. Bell
A life well lived. Glad, Dr. Angelou, you came our way.
About three years ago a dear friend of mine and I hustled on down to The University of Maryland to hear her speak from the wellspring of her heart. We patiently approached and became a part of the queue that stretched wide and far awaiting a glimpse of this phenomenal woman. As early as we arrived, we still found ourselves a little beyond the mid section of the auditorium where she was later seated. And when that voice that sounds like waters began to pour out over us, we forgot that we weren’t that close to her. It didn’t matter because she made us feel as if we were sitting at her feet.
Thank you, Dr. Angelou for touching all of us!
PEACH SWUNG IN THE VERNACULAR, DAY AFTER MAYA DIED
“Do I dare to eat a peach?”
-T.S. Eliot, The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock
to Maya Angelou and those who loved her
go ahead on and eat that peach, Mr. Eliot
it’s clear you’ve been away too long
from all the Peach Streets of America
and those old orchards raining their thick golden rains
it’s positively Providential:it’s our
hard turning ot the ice cream stile
we make our own miracles with the help of Sweet Jesus
my oh my my my
peachalicious charming in her Sunday hat
her caftans, gowns, long strands of beads
she was all that and more
every day of the week she’s gone now
from our small town
I’ll never sit down to her caramel cake
a fantasy of mine on my dessertless days
it wasn’t her poems that mattered the most
just like it wasn’t the peach that really mattered to T.S.
it was the goldenness in her oozing out in a voice,
a dusky goldenness, a dark lily shining
insisting you notice something – Life!
and sit up straight
a voice fit for Shakespeare’s queens, a tragedienne’s dream
but she wasn’t that.
she stirred up- something –
everywhere she went
her smile like a huge valentine-volcano
her voice like dark pearls spilling over
beyond the reach of the low flyers always
daring, Mr. Eliot
to eat that peach
and ask for so many more
mary angela douglas 29 may 2014
Thank you for being an inspiration to many people around the world and a revolutionary to this upcoming and previous generations the world has truly lost a gifted beautiful soul
I was privileged to take a course from Dr. Angelou in the 1980’s and she was a teacher like none I have ever had. The first moment of the first day of class she asked everyone to state their names and told us that, from that day forward, she would remember them. She then shared with us a smorgasbord of mind-opening experiences, from slave narrative readings to in-class debates on difficult issues to dinner at her house with her friend Alex Haley. Many years later I saw her in Durham at a dance performance and approached her with my wife to say “hello.” True to her word, she remembered me and exclaimed “HELLO YOUNG MR. STEVENS” in her booming baritone voice, much to my wife’s delight. She will be greatly missed.
I first saw Maya Angelou in the lobby of Reynolda Hall at Wake Forest University in the early 1970s. She was reading from her recent book and holding an open seminar for students. At the time, I had no idea who she was or what she wrote, but in the short time I stopped to listen, I knew she had something important to say. It was certainly a memorable moment. Soon afterwards I read her Caged Bird book, and it opened my eyes to aspects of life that were so different from my own experiences, while offering many universal lessons and truths. Truly a great person.
I heard Ms. Angelou in person at Muskingum College in 1970. It is our loss now that she is gone. Perhaps we can strive to preserve her in spirit.
You made me laugh.
You made me cry.
You made me think.
Thank you.
You will forever be missed. You left your print on this world that will never be forgotten. RIP Dr. Angelou <3
Thank you Dr. Angelou for your words of wisdom and encouragement. You will greatly be missed. I am glad that the world was able to give you your flowers while you were living. We all know that you are in a better place now where you can share you poetic words to the angels above. Rest in Paradise.
Dr. Angelou’s works resonate with people of all ages, creeds and races. As a NC high school teacher and a Wake Forest grad, I am always proud to introduce my freshmen to her as a NC resident and professor at my alma mater.
As Shakespeare wrote of poetry in Sonnet 18: “So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see/ So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” Dr. Angelou lives through her writing, wisdom and words. She is a woman for the ages.
Maya Angelou died yesterday morning
In a southern city of my homeland.
She died and now I weep for the people.
Don’t you?
Does it not pain you in some way to know of this loss to our community?
Do you not feel an ache deep within your soul at the knowledge of no more Maya?
No more Marguerite?
She said things with words that were powerful.
Her words
That she wrote and spoke were powerful and she used them with such care.
She was not frivolous in her use of the language like so many of us others.
And so I weep.
I weep because her Legacy is immense and wide,
Her literary and artistic work so broad and deep,
Such that her passing reveals a great big ‘ole hole.
There
In the middle of that hole
Is a set of tremendous footprints
Of shoes
That we only have a few that can fill.
We have Pearl. We have Melissa. We have Nikki of course, but who else?
We need so many others and they are too few for the work that needs doing.
The job is so big these days that it now requires many, many Maya’s to hold back the wave of ignorance and in-articulation that threatens the people.
Her light shone so bright that I weep
For fear that going forward no other lights will be able to illuminate the dark
Even were they gathered together in collective artistry could their lights shine even half as bright?
Beacons of intelligence, centered honesty with oneself and others
Great understanding of the importance of One’s Self to the struggle and the fight for Right and Others.
The voice to encourage diligence in the efforts to improve mankind and remind him of the beautiful parts of his nature and the brutal animal that with out a Cautious Posture he may be.
I weep, because her passing reminds me that I have work to do
That I do not want to do
That I did not have to do because she was here.
But now she is gone and how on God’s earth can I and others do our part?
How? For I am nothing.
I hid behind her words, her scoldings, her reminders
She did it best.
She did it with dance. She did it with song.
She did it even with film, and paper, and script.
She did it with The Stage.
She
Told the world about Me and about Us and about Them.
I did not have to say a thing.
I did not have to write a sentence. I did not have to dance one step or sing one note.
I did not have to define an emotion and existence because she was there to do it.
But she is gone
And I weep for myself and the people.
“She told the world about me and about us and about them.”
Thank you! Thank you for sharing your voice and your articulation of some of life’s greatest struggles and crossroads in a way that connects to the soul and highlights the humanity and equality in in life. Your presence will be greatly missed but your impact will remain enduring!
I was privileged to be able to hear and read your words. Words that seem to come from God’s own mouth. What a great honor he bestowed upon us with the gift of your life. Even as I write this note my eyes fill with tears. I hear your words and my heart fills with hope and my soul weighs heavy with the loss of you. God has you back now, rest in peace great warrior.
You are my inspiration to keep painting I shall miss you a lot.
I wish I had known this gem of a woman. You will greatly be missed Dr. Angelou. I didn’t know you, but listening to you and reading your works makes made me feel like I truly did. Dr. Angelou, I will never forget the way you made me feel. You will truly be missed.
Oh how I wish I could have taken your class. I read your books and poems at the most formative time in my life and I consider that a great blessing. I then heard you speak twice while I was attending the University of Texas At Austin, and to say it was moving is an understatement. I was transfixed. Few people impact the world the way that you did. What an extraordinary life you had and how extraordinarily you shared it with the world. May your beautiful soul rest in peace and derive eternal pleasure in witnessing the lives you touched.
I took a workshop with you and Dolly McPherson, your friend. You lit up the room. People listened to you. You shined. We respected you and learned from you. Thank you.
I cried when I heard the news announcement this morning. Dr. Angelou, thank you for your life, teachings, impact, and legacy!
Forever I will remember hearing Dr. Angelou speak at the MLK, Jr. Celebration hosted by OMA in January 2010. She spoke with such grace and it was all off the cuff! She had no prepared remarks, just her personal memories of a great man and friend. That was the beauty of it. She spoke from the heart and I loved every minute of it. Dr. Angelou, I was never fortunate enough to meet you personally but I will miss you and your loving spirit. Thank you for all you have done on behalf of Wake Forest University and the world!
A life well lived. Glad, Dr. Angelou, you came our way.