I’m still celebrating National Poetry Month with another one of my favorite poems by Maya Angelou. Scroll down to the video to hear her reciting Still I Rise with her luscious, mesmerizing voice. Enjoy and recite or publish your favorite poems this month.
Still I Rise
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.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
One of my all time faves. For the past 8 years or so, the Academy of American Poets send me a poster for Poetry month. I let the whole month pass and didn’t enjoy any good poetry. You just reminded me. Maya and Nikki Giovanni will be my read for today. Lol
Great! why don’t you post one of your favorites before the end of the month of April.
I am. @ This Moment! LOL
Great! Can’t wait to read it!
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Maya Angelou is so outstanding! She is such an inspirational woman. Just like her, I am rising (through the grace and mercy of God)! Thanks for this post and the video of her performing it. Reading the words was great, but hearing her performance was a treat 🙂 Maybe I’ll do something for National Poetry month, too 😉
Please do I’m trying to encourage all my blogging pals to publish some of their favorite poems too. Looking forward to viewing at least one of your favorites before the end of the month. 🙂
i will end up thinking that you read my mind each and everytime … have you ever listened to Ben Harper’s version of this poem ?
No I haven’t. I’ll look for on YT. So will you publish one of your favorite poems before the end of the month to celebrate National Poetry Month? Looking forward to reading one of your favorites….:)