“When it looked like the sun wasn’t gonna shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the clouds..."
That's what Maya Angelou sang in opening her opening talk, the famed poet and educator's appearance marking the 50th anniversary of integration at The Florida State University.
Ever since I was in high school and first read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, I had always wanted to see this phenomenal woman, so I jumped at the opportunity when she came to Tallahassee.
I couldn't help but think the powerful lobby of librarians were in her pocket by encouraging us to visit libraries, interact with librarians (and make them our new best friends) to research, learn, and truly savor the joy of poetry. That would be a daring feat in this modern age, where libraries have undergone a transformation from society's central station of learning to an odd hub that combines a day care napping center for the homeless, the invasion of after-school crowd of teens logging onto Facebook, and the one-stop movie shop (especially since all the Blockbusters and Hollywood Video stores closed). Books seem to scream for attention in libraries these days.
So, I felt it a personal challenge to tackle on more poetry... to read it more and learn to appreciate it as she has.
Dr. Angelou concluded with an excerpt from her piece, "Brave and Startling Truth." Check it out!