In Her Voice

Until you have been a caged bird,
you cannot truly appreciate the grace of flight,
nor know what it is in your heart to sing a song
from the branch of freedom.

Until you have been beaten down,
you cannot truly appreciate what it is to rise,
and to rise up on the behalf of others.

Until you can hold your fists when others let them fly,
Until you can let the tears come like angels to save
you from your own bitterness,
Until you can package your wounds in colorful wrappings
and glossy ribbons and give them away to those who have nothing,

nothing,

Until then, you have not found your own longing.

So, keep going.

Let this world be your place of dark beauty.
Let your heart find its point of breaking.

Earn your joy.

Earn it with all the might of your soul!

But, never forget -

     “Don’t you dare ever let me think that you have forgotten!”

It has been there all along.

— Jamie K. Reaser
for Maya Angelou