Maya Angelou died just three days ago, on May 28, 2014. I
was a twelve year-old girl when I first heard of Maya Angelou, the author of I
Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and I was engrossed when the story was told via
a PBS documentary some years later. I read the book when I was in middle school
for the first time, and I re-read it several times thereafter; each time
finding a greater depth of meaning as my own perspective of life had expanded.
I found Dr. Angelou to be a fascinating person as a whole of
her many composite selves: the author and poet, the innovative entrepreneur,
the multi-talented actress and dancer, and most of all, the tireless
humanitarian philosopher and perpetual teacher whose motto was “ If you learn, teach.”
Maya Angelou was a self-made woman whose phenomenal
personality enriched the world that she lived in.
She was indeed a Phenomenal Woman: Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou from Oprah.com,
because when she walked into the ‘room’ of the world and made her place, she
was noticed as she walked through life with her head “not bowed”, and even
though she did not “talk real loud”, she left the echo of her words behind.
I feel I have lost another part of my life, another life
member, because my world has had her in it since I was a child. Although I
never met her, I knew she was there... her presence defining the perimeters of
the literary world; her tweets and posts providing encouragement and hope for
everyone.
I woke up today and remembered she is gone. I offer tribute
to the woman who was born to small things yet rose to greatness.
Dr. Maya Angelou’s biography: Biography of Maya Angelou from Maya Angelou.com
