A Tribute to Dr. Maya Angelou by Award Winning African Poets!

Ariadne’s Notes:

001Three  African World Poetry Canada International award winners pay tribute to Maya Angelou; poet, justice crusader, writer and women’s rights advocate. She  was and still is a wonderful, shinning light for the world and lives in out hearts and in her numerous books. She will be sorely missed.

World Poetry Celebrated Asian Heritage Month on May 28th in New Westminster, BC  Canada and had a moment of silence for Maya Angelou and read an excerpt from the poem by Mutiu Olawuyi  which was well received and gave me the idea to present these three award winners who hopefully will be coming to our Fourth World Poetry Canada International Peace Festival in October, 2014.

Featured Poet.

A BRIGHT LIGHT SLEEPS

(Dedicated to Maya Angelou)

A bright
Light, this day, has found a sip of sleep
And still the
Caged birds sing their songs…

Yes, the birds sing!
They sing but not the songs of joy–
Their ‘toothless”
Beaks, now, weave the rhythms of endless sorrows…

They mourn
For a new dawn is still and hangs in the skies–
The sun is perplexed
And awaits to find reasons to tell the new day;

Maya Angelou!

A fierce
And tremendous cradle of pride
Firmly woven
Into the depth of the holding anchors of the earth…

A strong
Embrace that filled the void and calmed
The turbulence
Of mortal roars that once encroached the earth…

A metaphor
Of racial equity and a bright light
That glowed
In the opaque foggy frost mist…

She is
This juncture, mute and still
And the earth
At last, lament,”…O’ death why art thou stolen our treasure?”

O’ truly, a bright
Light’s day, this day, is done
And the lips
Of the earth have turned her praise singers

The ideal
Of a woman with the heart that dares
Where eves
Dared not to dare…

Maya Angelou!

The hailed trailblazer and the speechless
At childhood whose voice
Re-emerged to inspire the fading bones

Gracious
Walk, we creed for thy feet
In thy
New path on the sacred voyage of no return!

Oswald George Okaitei
All Rights Reserved. © 2014

 

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I am One of The Caged Birds
(To Maya Angelou)
By Mutiu Olawuyi

My shank pip out to spot my fellow wings,
though of different colors and shapes,
from the fluid cage since the shadowy point.
I sulk to flee the cold from the callous snowy soil,
though the coop metal gate was bolted,
with my bald and skinless neck.
And those like me in blood and eye-sights
crouch with outward smiley face –
built with rotten rice and cassava and maize.
Dogs eating dogs and things fall apart – 
Our cooked foods are enjoyed by our visitors
and we – turned their watchmen.
And our crops turn their plants for us to buy.
They’ve swapped our bearers’ tongues with theirs.
And they on our wings now survive.
Our saliva is dry – we can no longer sing – 
We wheeze and sneeze to feel an atom breeze.

Surely you may know – why the caged bird sings; 
how the flutes of others fine-tune his throat – 
hidden to the free bird flowing in the cloudless sky .
I am one of the caged birds – troubling my gangan,
bata and kora, yes, for freedom of my vein’s wits,
and of her sights and her legs. The caged bird
no longer sings but wheezes, sneezes and drums not.
He shivers but never allowed to dance.
Mutiu Olawuyi  (C)

 

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I WISH TO BE THE CAGE BIRD.
To MAYA ANGELOU.

The piper piped the pipe
The drummy has twirled the type
The town crier sound the gong

Is this a call for feast or shivah?
So: I heard the song
Far the sky abroad

From the tip tweak peak
Of a little bird
Oh! They say bird sings

What do they say?
To what has this song brought?
I asked in amazement.

Oh! Yesss they truely sing
I saw wave as the feather pinch
It was the free bird sings
Rent her feather in sick

It is a song of mourning
It is a shivah not a feast
The wind blow to and fro
Sip the light and carry the dirge.

And I ask oh! Free bird
Why doth thou rent your feather?

Oh! Little bird
Why doth sing this dirge?

And the free bird said
O’ you unfortunate traveler
Caged in the cage of tumultuous

Behold! Tonight the great bird
Has soared beyond the sky

The bright light has gone faded
O’ that bird stalks down the narrow cage
 Whose tune is heard on the distant hill

 Whose voice beyond mine stands still

Often sings for freedom
 Lay down this night and sip the milk of death

 Oh, she is gone to rest in the kingdom
Where life is free and free from cage net.

Tonight! When the moon decend on us
When the wind whisper to our souls
Then shall we all sing dirge
As tribute to the great bird

Oh! Maya Angelou
The voice of freedom and peace
May you leave to rest in peace
The great bird is gone

The little bird mourns
Oh! Unfortunate traveler wings
I wish I could be the caged bird
To name the sky PEACE.

(C) Copyright
@ Timileyin Gabriel Olajuwon
2014 Torm Gardson

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2 Responses to A Tribute to Dr. Maya Angelou by Award Winning African Poets!

  1. Luzuko Nomnganga says:

    By Luzuko Nomnganga

    An Angel has fallen… Like pollen her sweet nectar was a fountain of inspiration… A nation is saddened ..a world has lost… We remember ..we celebrate and appreciate the blessing that God loaned us!

    You are part of history…but will call it herstory because you moulded leaders ..shaped readers and forged a new way of thinking…

    The sun has set .. The wind blows the dust .. A legacy has been left and the seeds have been planted…

    Blessed are those who learnt!
    Blessed are those who believed

    Your words cut through race…Your words sewed broken hearts

    You taught Eve to preserve herself…and encouraged Adam persevere!

    You have finished your race with no one beside you…a new chapter for you but the end of the book for us!

    Your light has shone upon many souls…Your gift in the present..will be preserved..You are a true symbol of what human dignity is!

    Rest In Peace DR Maya Angelou

  2. Ariadne says:

    Good poem. Thank you!

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