And Still I Rise

Poetry. You know those books or genres or classics or - fill in the blank here - that you always feel like you *should* read more of, but don't? Poetry is my "fill in the blank" in that category. I generally read one book of poetry for National Poetry Month, and the rest of the year I bemoan my lack of poetry and my general lack of interest in reading it (despite the fact that most of the poetry collections I've chosen to read, I like). Sometimes I'm wowed, other times I'm confused, but always I feel like I should begin any review with the caveat that I don't read much poetry and - despite the fact that I was an English major - I quake in my boots when asked to interpret it.

In this collection, Maya Angelou's poems are strong and vibrant and clear - I didn't feel like I needed to pick them apart to interpret them. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with them emotionally the way I imagine one should connect with poetry. Some of them made me sad, but most of them left me feeling like I'd missed something, that I didn't get it in some fundamental way. I loved Angelou's memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. But for some reason, this poetry collection didn't resonate in the same way, and I'm not sure why. ( )

Inspiring, and while slim, this edition is nice as it pairs the poem with art by Diego Rivera.

Still I Rise
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You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But, still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise
I rise
I rise. ( )

These poems are about life – pride, love, struggles, and success – facing all of it and uplifting ourselves to come out on top of all our difficulties. The poems are mainly about uplifting yourself regardless of your situation.

I was drawn to this book of poems by the title of the book. She writes in a simple matter of fact way about everyday things that we can relate to. I really enjoyed her poems Phenomenal Woman, and Still I Rise; they are very strong and inspiring poems.

I believe this book is best suited for older children probably during heritage months. ( )