Maya Angelou (4 April 1928)

if you love the poem, read the book! It's great!

Who is going to correct 'win' to 'wind' in the second line?

I was introduced to Maya in a college literature class, hadn't heard of her until then. She touched the soul of one who'd been caged and then set free. I, too, know why the caged bird sings and thank her for putting into words what so many abused people don't know how or can't express.
I, too, saw the typos but thought of the message and overlooked them. That can be fixed by a few keystrokes, the bars around a caged heart? Not so easily. Her words have inspired yet another poem for me, her courage (I also read her book) has kept my heart from giving up when all seemed lost. The world would've been so much less had she not written down what was in her heart.

I have often felt like that caged bird...yet I just keep right on hoping, though, that with every day that comes, I will have the courage to 'open my mouth and sing.'

Maya -

There's a typo on line 2 - win?
I would like permission to post this poem on my blog:

www.poetryagainstpoverty.vox.com

I am trying to raise the universal consciousness on this social crisis and I feel this poem has a very powerful voice.

Thank you -

Cheryl Lynn Moyer

Her poems are so captivating they show you things that sometimes you cant understand and they make you frustrated but still you keep on coming mesmarized by how beutiful the poems are

One of the greatest of all American poems. Is has the sweep and universal vision of the best of Whitman.

woooooooooooooooow..im speachless the poem speaks for it's self..one of the most beautifulest meaningful poems i've read just wish i could come up with something so enchanting

Amazing and enchanting! Such awesome adjectives...I'm speechless! !

I love this poem, not only the message, but the imagery in this just amazes me sometimes.