(4 April 1928)

poet Maya Angelou
#2 on top 500 poets
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User Rating:
7.2 / 10
( 166 votes )
What do you think this poem is about?

The Lesson

I keep on dying again.
Veins collapse, opening like the
Small fists of sleeping
Children.
Memory of old tombs,
Rotting flesh and worms do
Not convince me against
The challenge. The years
And cold defeat live deep in
Lines along my face.
They dull my eyes, yet
I keep on dying,
Because I love to live.

Submitted: Friday, January 03, 2003


Read poems about / on: memory, children, love, sleep, child

Comments about this poem (The Lesson by Maya Angelou )

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  • Helen Baird (1/14/2012 11:51:00 AM)

    Love this poem. It reminds me of the words in a song... You cut me open and I keep bleeding love.

    29 person liked.
    		6 person did not like.
  • Ken E Hall (10/11/2011 11:25:00 PM)

    Age sure does weary us but your cleverness shouts out 'I love to live' so do I that's why
    I as a kid I dived into the cellars to avoid Hitler's bombs, glad he's dead....life is wonderful...kind regards

    31 person liked.
    		6 person did not like.
  • Estrellita Dedel (8/17/2011 10:52:00 PM)

    beautiful.... one of my favorites! :)

    24 person liked.
    		6 person did not like.
  • Debbie Ledford (2/5/2011 6:34:00 PM)

    grate poem..... i loved it :)

    21 person liked.
    		11 person did not like.
  • Anna Williams (12/17/2010 2:55:00 AM)

    I keep dying because I love to live... Love it.

    27 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
  • Rose Russell (6/24/2010 10:33:00 PM)

    I love when she says I keep dying because I love to live...What that means to me is in order to enjoy the good times in life you have to know the struggle if I never knew struggle I would never appreciate peace comfort and a worry less life. So I don't mind dying because it teaches me how much I love living. -Wrong Era

    25 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
  • Danise Thomas (2/8/2010 6:51:00 PM)

    We born and we love life, but someday we are going to die as we were born, grew and become old, without physical strenght, with wrinkles and darkness in our eyes. Life - death - young - old - beauty and smooth - wrinkles and darkness.

    17 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
  • Rinki Nandy (2/5/2010 3:03:00 AM)

    'i keep dying bcoz i love to live' aren't the best thing happened after a long time!

    19 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
  • Seema Joglekar (8/17/2009 4:39:00 AM)

    It oozes out and starts to pour,
    These splendidly worded lines I adore,
    It gropes and wrenches the choking from within,
    And releases a breath of fresh air, bloodied, warm, I mean.

    28 person liked.
    		2 person did not like.
  • Karen Natasha Seerattan (7/8/2009 10:24:00 AM)

    I just want to comment on one thing miss Angelou all your poems teaches me a lesson some way or the other and I love love you and I KNOW I HAVE YOU

    23 person liked.
    		4 person did not like.
Read all 20 comments »

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