The great poet-activist-author-life-chronicler Maya Angelou died today. She was 86 years of age. Her first autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (one of seven) was on the syllabus when I studied English A-level. The book covers her life from birth to the age of 16, growing up as a black, female American in Arkansas during the 30s and 40s. It explores the very specific trauma and victimisation she experiences and how she endures and keeps on in the face of, in some cases, horrific and irrevocable circumstance.
Caged Bird was one of a range of books on the syllabus covering survival in adverse circumstances (another memorable one was Jane Eyre). I dropped out of A-levels to pursue other interests, but the power, poetry and symbolism of her words stayed with me, imprinting themselves on my DNA.
A few months back, whilst en route on the bus, I looked around me and saw individuals all very much within their own worlds, going from day-to-day, all doing their own thing. As travellers we overlapped, but our lives were largely untouched by one another, except for the mild inconvenience and imposition of having to share breathing space whilst travelling. This got me thinking about how we all exist within our own universe and some of us are lucky enough to create and tailor "a universe" to suit how we want to live, to a larger or smaller degree.
My bus-musings eventually shaped themselves into another poem. It's called A Universal Construct (see what I did there?) and reflects this idea of creating and occupying our own worlds within the world.
I do tend to end up sharing work on this blog, which is I guess what it's for, but I'm sharing primarily in response to the wonderful-ness of Maya Angelou and her amazing and inspiring wordsmithery. She was ace.
A Universal Construct
I’m going to build myself a universe
There’s a man across the way
Rents his out by the day
I’m going to build myself a universe
Filled with semi-practised musical notes
Novels unfinished, words I once wrote
Oil pastel drawings left blank at each corner
Empires unconquered, where climates seem warmer
Where potential is limitless
Inspiration never rationed
Where a thought can be primped
And jauntily fashioned
And the ink well of innovation
Never goes dry
Where ideas from start to finish
Can be summoned by a sigh
My DIY universe comes
In shipments, as a kit
So I can build it over time
Piece by piece, bit by bit
And if it loses value
Through wear and tear and stress
I’ll swap it for a new one
And start again, afresh
I’m going to find myself a universe;
Interest-free credit, buy now, don’t delay!
I can pay in instalments…
The down payment starts today
I'll wattle and daub a universe
With soil and sand and clay
Fashion a working universe
And build a better way
© C Lynn
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