Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me

by Maya Angelou

Perfect for Mother’s Day, or for any day on which we wish to acknowledge this all-important bond,  Mother  is an awe-inspiring affirmation of the enduring love that exists in every corner of the globe.
 
With her signature eloquence and heartfelt appreciation, renowned poet and national treasure Maya Angelou celebrates the first woman we ever knew: Mother. “You were always the heart of happiness to me,” she acknowledges in this loving tribute, “Bringing nougats of glee / Sweets of open laughter.” 
 
From the beginnings of this profound relationship through teenage rebellion and, finally, to adulthood, where we stand to inherit timeless maternal wisdom, Angelou praises the patience, knowledge, and compassion of this remarkable parent.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, African American, Classics, Female Authors, Parenting, 21st Century

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2006

About the author

Maya Angelou was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.
She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, Porgy and Bess cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. Angelou was also an actress, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Angelou was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made approximately 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She was respected as a spokesperson for Black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of Black culture. Her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide, although attempts have been made to ban her books from some U.S. libraries. Angelou's most celebrated works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics consider them to be autobiographies. She made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing, and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes that include racism, identity, family, and travel.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel kind of silly for having read this book. First off, I wanted to read it because I am unfamiliar with Angelou and thought any book would be a good place to start, but I should have taken the hint from the title that it is a book for moms on Mother's Day. Equally silly is the fact that I bought it for $2.00 when it only took me three minutes to read.
Anyway, it's a good book for a mom if you have the kind of mom who cries tears of love after reading how perfectly someone else has expressed those thoughts that she imagines you having . . . although you have not expressed them but have rather just given her a book that she will tenderly keep on her nightstand for decades to come.

[Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get pretty emotional when it comes to poems about mothers and Maya Angelou managed to strike a cord. I read this one before Mom & Me & Mom and somehow after reading that one, the poem seems more significant.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read entirely while standing in the library waiting to speak to the librarian.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for books to put in the library's Mother's Day display and I picked up this one. It's very short - a quick read - but also very beautiful. Words that I cannot find pour from Maya Angelou's pen as a tribute to mothers.

"Mother,
During those early, dearest days
I did not dream that you had
A large life which included me,
For I had a life
Which was only you."

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maya Angelou's Mother: A Cradle to hold me, is a soulful and sweet soliloquy that describes a child's relationship with a mother. From the early days of merging through the years of separation, rebellion, and ultimately appreciation, it describes a pivotal relationship. The beginnings of personhood are softly but poignantly conveyed with mystical tinge that will plumb the heart of all.

[Saoirse]

For every mom ................................

[Mario Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and precise writing as expected. We are lucky to have the work by Maya Angelou. I will be rereading more of her work this summer.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

One poem for Mother’s Day, nice if somewhat saccharine.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

still reading poem books! this one made me emo!!!
“during the years when you knew nothing
and i knew everything, i loved you still.”

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so easy to read - accessible poetry...who would have thought?

[Ashly Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only ever read like pieces of “Why the Caged Bird Sings” in school, so when I saw this on the shelf at the library, I thought I might try it out.

This is a tiny, cute collection of little love poems for mother. The poems are not especially deep or even necessarily meaningful, but present a nice picture of a mother’s love.

[Yaaresse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our library site didn't have a description to tell me anything different, only the publisher blurb about who Angelou was. So, based on no information, I thought this would be a collection of Angelou's final poems, something along the lines of "A Brave and Startling Truth" or "On the Pulse of Morning."

It turns out to be only one poem--or maybe it's several really short ones, hard to tell. It's a rather saccharine one that would not be out of place on a Mother's Day Hallmark display.

Not anything I can relate to on any level.

[Trixy Lemell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This by far is not one of my favorite poems by Maya Angelou. I would say, "Average" suits it. On top of that, this is more of a gift book. A lot of cream colored pages that are blank. Print on one side and not the other. 9.95 for the book of 9 pages of poetry.

And if I remember correctly...This poem was in her collected pieces.

Don't buy unless you are buying as a gift on mothers day.

[Lorelai Berry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely not one of my favorites from her. It was more of a greeting card than a book, and it was kind of disappointing. Maya Angelou is still one of my favorite authors of all time, but I would definitely start with a different one if you are trying to experience Angelou for the first time.

[Zachariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book so short, I almost feel bad for putting it on here. It's ten pages, front -no back - with a border, huge font, and wide spacing. It read like a Hallmark card. Still liked it. Probably let my mom read it for Mother's day or something.

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely sentiment, spoken with the knowledge of a woman as she grows from child, through the teenage years to being an adult.

[Parthiban Sekar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Master Piece from Maya!!

[sandrasbooked · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is true
I was created in you.
It is also true
That you were created for me.
I owned your voice.

Mother,
During those early, dearest days
I did not dream that you had
A large life which included me,
For I had a life
Which was only you.

You were always
The heart of happiness to me

During the years when you knew nothing
And I knew everything, I loved you still.
Condescendingly of course,
From my high perch
Of teenage wisdom.
I grew older and
Was stunned to find
How much knowledge you had gleaned,
And so quickly.

Mother I have learned enough now
To know I have learned nearly nothing.
On this day
When mothers are being honored,
Let me thank you
That my selfishness, ignorance, and mockery
Did not bring you to
Discard me like a broken doll
Which had lost its favor.
I thank you that
You still find something in me
To cherish, to admire, and to love.
I thank you, Mother.
I love you.

[Delanie Dooms · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mother's Day gift. I thought the poem was good, and showed a natural progression from the perspective of the child in the beginning - who believes, for instance, that their mother was created for them (and lived no life outside of them) - through teenage years, finally to a retrospective from adulthood. I suppose it is a nice gift for a mother, but if this is not something you're into, I would recommend reading it online or in a collection for it would otherwise be paying for a single poem of little length.

[myshie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It is true that I was created in you. It is also true that you were created for me."

Maya Angelou is an astonishing acclaimed writer for very good reason, and she astounds me every time she writes. No author has brought out such tender emotion in me, her prose is comforting yet pinching. It really hurts to read her words, but I don't know where I would be without this poem. To my mother, I learned enough now in my years to learn that I know nothing, I just hope my sob wasn't your root but I wouldn't mind if it was.

[Robin Davis]

This is a very small book, basically a poem, but I loved that I could hear Maya reading it in my head. I've wanted to try out more poetry this year, as that isn't something I've previously read much, so I decided to start with Maya. I read and savored this poem a number of times and I appreciate the pieces that made me think about my own mothering and that will stick with me.
"It is true
I was created in you.
It is also true
That you were created for me."

[Nichola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be good to read after her first volume of autobiography, but it was actually very confusing considering her mother was not particularly central to the part of her life I had just learned about. I guess this is a gift book with just a collection of poems on this topic, but I over invested and came up kinda blank. I am not usually successful with poetry books anyway, so this was just not meant to be for me.

[Emily Magnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soooo this was one long poem in a book total of maybe 10 pages. Hilarious. Love Maya and loved the voice of a child writing to the complex relationship of their mother

“It is true
I was created in you.
It is also true
That you were created for me.
I owned your voice.
It was shaped and tuned to soothe me.
Your arms were molded
Into a cradle to hold me, to rock me.
The scent of your body was the air
Perfumed for me to breathe.”

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful homage from the poet to her mother, an homage which could include many a mother. Simple and heartfelt, it expressed the innocent yearning a child has for her mother; at first with infant directness. The child grows away from the object of her devotion, yet returns to the same feeling. This was a burst of earnest love, reaching out with words to stir memories of simpler times and simpler emotions. It was refreshing to journey back to them.

[Bette Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maya Angelou's poem, "Mother, A Cradle to Hold Me" is a treasure signifying the universal mother and daughter bond. I have a hardcover copy that is sure to be read again and again. ~Bette A. Stevens, author of award-winning picture book AMAZING MATILDA [[ASIN:B00AU9ZISA Amazing Matilda (Children's Literature): The Tale of A Monarch Butterfly]] and other books for children and adults.

[Clare McCarthy]

I've paraphrase this poem dozens of times without knowing I should have attributed it to Maya Angleou:
"During the years when you knew nothing
And I knew everything, I loved you still.
Condescendingly, of course,
From my high perch
Of teenage wisdom.
I grew older and
Was stunned to find
How much knowledge you had gleaned,
And so quickly."

[Josie Varela · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mother,
During those earliest, dearest days
I did not dream that you had
A large life which included me,
For I had a life
Which was only you." - Maya Angelou

In the eyes of Child, Mother is God. Mother can be forging and patient. Or Mother can be angry, malevolent. This was a nice, short read that I enjoyed greatly.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maya Angelou's poetry never fails to impress the audience with her wise words and enchanting charisma. This collection, however, told more of a story and had a very targeted audience, which made it harder for me to fully appreciate. The sensory imagery and figurative language were so amazing, but I would say the book failed to capture the reader. It felt like it was written more for sappy moms!

[Isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t grow up with my mother, so I’ve never known what having that figure in your life feels like. I am a mother and I want to understand how my little one sees me. I just want to be what I didn’t have, and this book is part of my research. After reading it, I don’t know if I should feel hopeful that my daughter has someone to admire or miserable because I don’t have someone to admire.