My Tribute To Maya Angelou The Phenomenal Woman Poem by ENOCH JOHN

I have never met that phenomenal woman but her verse has met me,
We have never sat down and drank coffee and shared ideas but I seem to know her,
So I've come to pay my tribute to a great poet and educator whom America shared with the world.

At Winston-Salem in lovely South Carolina a light went out.Was it then to be a day of sadness for the passing of this icon or was it to be a celebratory time?

With her departure now the streets of America will be lonelier,
The caged bird has flown to the heavens but we'll have a good memory of her,
For in the land of poesy in the esplanade reserved for the greats her place is secure.
She who wore the tiara of negritude gracefully but without unnecessary extravagance.

O streets of Harlem dance! O streets of Chicago and the Bronx sing in rhapsody!
Shall we build her an obelisk or will her citadel with walls of word suffice?
She who was named after an angel but walked in shoes of humility,
She who was hurt but this hurt became her healing.

The thin clear Carolina air must have sighed in response to her passing,
The trees that lined the sidewalks of the city swayed their acclamation,
Even the silent polished stones on the pavements seemed to find a voice,
Maya Angelou you who have come from humble beginnings have touched the lives of kings, presidents
And millions of people on this brown earth, so rest in peace, rest in love.