When Maya Angelou casts her hypnotizing gaze upon an audience, all is forgotten. Like a lone star peeking through the night sky, she shines brilliantly upon those she encounters.
Anyone who had the opportunity to witness her performance at Popejoy Hall Wednesday night knows exactly what I'm talking about. She earned a standing ovation before speaking a single word.
Angelou's speech offered both insight and optimism, focusing on each person's ability to create, inspire and influence.
Angelou spoke of her life as a young child growing up in the small town of Stamps, Ark.
Unfortunately, her life's journey was not always trouble-free. At eight years old, her mother's boyfriend raped her. The rapist received an overnight sentence in prison for his crime and was later murdered. Maya was convinced that her voice had killed him. As a result, she muted herself, refusing to speak for several years. Then one day, one of her childhood teachers introduced her to poetry, telling her "it (would) put starch in (her) backbone." The teacher also told Angelou that she would "never love poetry until (she spoke) it." It was then that she began her gradual recovery from her speechless ailment; poetry had become "the rainbow in her cloud."
Angelou's speech continued with this theme of tragedy overcome by hope - a hope aroused by the dawn of new beginnings. As she pointed out, "We have come to a place where our self-esteem gets hung on the bounds." Her answer to the question, "How do people survive?" is in the simplicity of poetry, which "helps us pull ourselves out of the doldrums."
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Angelou instilled in the audience values rooted in racial equality, stressing that "human beings are more alike than they are unalike." Her depth of perception and vastness of erudition construct the essence of euphoric intelligence.
Among the many of her priceless teachings were the reminders that "a cheerful spirit is good medicine," "whining lets a brute know that a victim is in the neighborhood" and "never trust people who don't laugh." She also quoted an African saying that tells people to "be careful when a naked person offers you their shirt."
With a myriad of thoughts instilled in her audience members, Angelou left all too soon. Yet, her wisdom arrived just in time.
