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By Maya Angelou - Poems: Maya Angelou (3rd Edition) (1997-05-27) [Paperback]
Tenderly, joyously, sometimes in sadness, sometimes in pain, Maya Angelou writes from the heart and celebrates life as only she has discovered it. In this moving volume of poetry, we hear the multi-faceted voice of one of the most powerful and vibrant writers of our time.
- GenresPoetryClassicsNonfiction
Paperback
Published May 27, 1997
40 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
Maya Angelou
295 books14.6k followersMaya 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 25, 2023
A lot of Maya Angelou's poetry reflects struggles I'll never understand, so I found it hard to connect with a lot of what was written.
However, her searing honesty comes through frequently and forcefully. If authenticity is one of the cornerstones of art, Angelou is one hell of an artist indeed.
However, her searing honesty comes through frequently and forcefully. If authenticity is one of the cornerstones of art, Angelou is one hell of an artist indeed.
Read
June 8, 2025reading maya angelou for the first time is funny because you realise that everyone else truly is imitating her in some way. so many of these poems are going to stick with me, but ‘wonder’ was a favourite even before this reading and will remain a favourite for a long time:
A day
drunk with the nectar of
nowness
weaves its way between
the years
to find itself at the flophouse
of night
to sleep and be seen
no more.
Will i be less
dead because i wrote this
poem or you more because
you read it
long years hence.
also, i love the fact that i could distinctly tell what poetry collection i was reading despite the fact that there’s a few collected in here - her artistic vision is expansive and yet so specific.
A day
drunk with the nectar of
nowness
weaves its way between
the years
to find itself at the flophouse
of night
to sleep and be seen
no more.
Will i be less
dead because i wrote this
poem or you more because
you read it
long years hence.
also, i love the fact that i could distinctly tell what poetry collection i was reading despite the fact that there’s a few collected in here - her artistic vision is expansive and yet so specific.
November 5, 2023
i think i still don’t understand poetry lol but i liked it for the most part
November 26, 2025
phenomenal woman
May 8, 2023
Maya Angelou will always be one of my favorite authors. I love the way she writes and has a rhythm to her poems.
February 5, 2025
“Will I be less / dead because I wrote this / poem or you more because / you read it / long years hence.”
there is so much to love about maya angelou’s poetry. i will be returning to this book until it’s falling apart.
there is so much to love about maya angelou’s poetry. i will be returning to this book until it’s falling apart.
March 15, 2024
The first collection was more challenging for me to grasp. However, I'll be thinking about many of these poems for a while. Easy to understand why she's one of the most famous poets of a generation
July 10, 2024
Truly a scrumptious piece of literature. The words on the page are written with such purity and honesty that they seem to have a beating heart. Genuinely a crown jewel in the world of literature.
November 1, 2024
such a stunning collection of poems. dedications to her uncle, brother, child and civil rights leaders like Rosa Parks and Malcolm X. utterly captivating
February 14, 2025
obviously a fucking five out of five
September 10, 2025
So so beautiful. One of my favorites:
The Gamut
Soft you day, be velvet soft,
My true love approaches,
Look you bright, you dusty sun,
Array your golden coaches.
Soft you wind, be soft as silk
My true love is speaking.
Hold you birds, your silver throats,
His golden voice I'm seeking.
Come you death, in haste, do come
My shroud of black be weaving,
Quiet my heart, be deathly quiet,
My true love is leaving.
The Gamut
Soft you day, be velvet soft,
My true love approaches,
Look you bright, you dusty sun,
Array your golden coaches.
Soft you wind, be soft as silk
My true love is speaking.
Hold you birds, your silver throats,
His golden voice I'm seeking.
Come you death, in haste, do come
My shroud of black be weaving,
Quiet my heart, be deathly quiet,
My true love is leaving.
April 24, 2024
tears
the crystal rags
the crystal rags
February 7, 2025
Beautiful, haunting, and true. An example of how one's self can be another in you. I'm no Maya Angelou, I will always say that. But reading these poems, I feel what I can only imagine is a moment of a moment wrapped in her spirit. And though the moment is beautiful as she is beautiful and though her dreams nearly compare, there is no out. You can only breathe in and in and in and you are her. To live with so much pain is to suffocate, and how this woman continues, continued, to live and to love is beyond my experience but closer now, I think, to my understanding.
Some Favorites:
When I think About Myself
When I think about myself,
I almost laugh myself to death,
My life has been one great big joke,
A dance that’s walked,
I laugh so hard I almost choke
When I think about myself.
Sixty years in these folk’s world
The child I work for calls me girl
I say “Yes’Mam” for working's sake
Too proud to bend
Too poor to break
I laugh until my stomach ache,
When I think about myself.
My folks can make me split my side.
I Laughed so hard I nearly died,
The tales they tell, sound just like lying,
They grow the fruit,
But eat the rind,
I laugh until I start to crying,
When I think about my folks.
They Went Home
They went home and told their wives
that never in all their lives,
had they met a girl like me,
But…They went home.
They said my house was licking clean,
no word I spoke was ever mean,
I had an air of mystery,
But…They went home.
My praises were on all men’s lips,
they liked my smile, my wit, my hips
they’d spend one night, or two, or three
But…
On a Bright Day Next Week
On a bright day next week
Just before the bomb falls
Just before the world ends
Just before I die
All my tears will powder
Black in dust like ashes
Black like Buddhas bellly
Black and hot and dry
Then will mercy tumble
Falling down in goheads
Falling on the children
Falling from the sky
Some Favorites:
When I think About Myself
When I think about myself,
I almost laugh myself to death,
My life has been one great big joke,
A dance that’s walked,
I laugh so hard I almost choke
When I think about myself.
Sixty years in these folk’s world
The child I work for calls me girl
I say “Yes’Mam” for working's sake
Too proud to bend
Too poor to break
I laugh until my stomach ache,
When I think about myself.
My folks can make me split my side.
I Laughed so hard I nearly died,
The tales they tell, sound just like lying,
They grow the fruit,
But eat the rind,
I laugh until I start to crying,
When I think about my folks.
They Went Home
They went home and told their wives
that never in all their lives,
had they met a girl like me,
But…They went home.
They said my house was licking clean,
no word I spoke was ever mean,
I had an air of mystery,
But…They went home.
My praises were on all men’s lips,
they liked my smile, my wit, my hips
they’d spend one night, or two, or three
But…
On a Bright Day Next Week
On a bright day next week
Just before the bomb falls
Just before the world ends
Just before I die
All my tears will powder
Black in dust like ashes
Black like Buddhas bellly
Black and hot and dry
Then will mercy tumble
Falling down in goheads
Falling on the children
Falling from the sky
March 1, 2024
Maya Angelou: The Weaver of Words
By Tamara Brockington
Maya Angelou, a huge star in the constellation of American poets, weaves her verses with threads of resilience, wisdom, and strong spirit. Her poems resonate across time, bridging the pieces of history and human experience together. This book is a great start to your poetic journey with some of her most famous and not so famous poems of her career. Let’s explore a few:
1. "Still I Rise" (Pg.154)
A battle cry for African American courage, this poem embodies resilience. Maya Angelou defies adversity, rising like dust despite lies and oppression. Her sassiness unsettles naysayers. She walks as if no one is watching (as she should). Twisting and turning, she springs high—aspiring indeed. As she declares:
"You may write me down in history /With your bitter, twisted lies, / You may tread me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I'll rise."
2. "Phenomenal Woman" (Pg.121)
Maya Angelou's influence extends beyond poetry. She embodies courage, resilience, and civil rights activism. In this celebration of womanhood, she declares her truth—unapologetically. Her form and technique resonate, pulling all hearts into her orbit. She proclaims:
"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies/I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size/But when I start to tell them, /They think I'm telling lies."
3. “Slave Coffle” (Pg.207)
Maya Angelou's poem "Slave Coffle" is a haunting exploration of the horrors endured by enslaved individuals. In this expressive piece, Angelou gives a voice to a slave whose existence is marked by suffering and despair. The grinning demons represent the oppressors, their cruelty sketched into every moment. Through her poetic lens, Maya Angelou lets free the buried history, ensuring that the voices of the enslaved echo across generations. She does this with the quote:
“All the earth is horror and the dark night long/Then before the dawning, bright as grinning demons/came the fearful knowledge that my life was gone.”
Before I move on with the review, I would just like to acknowledge that these next two poems are not in this book. However, I feel like these do belong in there as they show as much power as the rest.
4. "Touched by An Angel"
In this powerful poem, Maya Angelou unveils the transformative power of love. Through vivid imagery, she reveals that love can sometime free us from emotional confinement. The poem's emotional tone is hopeful and optimistic, encouraging readers to be bold in the pursuit of love even though love does have a cost. As Maya Angelou writes:
"We, unaccustomed to courage/exiles from delight live coiled in shells of loneliness/ until love leaves its high holy temple."
5. "When Great Trees Fall"
Maya Angelou's response to loss reminds me of like a faint tapping of a drum. When influential figures depart, our foundations tremble. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on Maya Angelou's birthday left an incredible mark on her. The poem reminds us that regrets linger, but our lives are and always will be blessed by a person's influence. She writes:
"When great trees fall, rocks on distant hills shudder/ lions hunker down in tall grasses."
In conclusion I believe that "Maya Angelou: Poems" is a voyage through the history of poetry as a whole—one that beckons readers to listen closely and efficiently. Angelou’s book of poetry (one out of many) is a stellar addition to modern poetry, and her beautiful verses will linger like moon-kissed memories forever.
By Tamara Brockington
Maya Angelou, a huge star in the constellation of American poets, weaves her verses with threads of resilience, wisdom, and strong spirit. Her poems resonate across time, bridging the pieces of history and human experience together. This book is a great start to your poetic journey with some of her most famous and not so famous poems of her career. Let’s explore a few:
1. "Still I Rise" (Pg.154)
A battle cry for African American courage, this poem embodies resilience. Maya Angelou defies adversity, rising like dust despite lies and oppression. Her sassiness unsettles naysayers. She walks as if no one is watching (as she should). Twisting and turning, she springs high—aspiring indeed. As she declares:
"You may write me down in history /With your bitter, twisted lies, / You may tread me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I'll rise."
2. "Phenomenal Woman" (Pg.121)
Maya Angelou's influence extends beyond poetry. She embodies courage, resilience, and civil rights activism. In this celebration of womanhood, she declares her truth—unapologetically. Her form and technique resonate, pulling all hearts into her orbit. She proclaims:
"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies/I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size/But when I start to tell them, /They think I'm telling lies."
3. “Slave Coffle” (Pg.207)
Maya Angelou's poem "Slave Coffle" is a haunting exploration of the horrors endured by enslaved individuals. In this expressive piece, Angelou gives a voice to a slave whose existence is marked by suffering and despair. The grinning demons represent the oppressors, their cruelty sketched into every moment. Through her poetic lens, Maya Angelou lets free the buried history, ensuring that the voices of the enslaved echo across generations. She does this with the quote:
“All the earth is horror and the dark night long/Then before the dawning, bright as grinning demons/came the fearful knowledge that my life was gone.”
Before I move on with the review, I would just like to acknowledge that these next two poems are not in this book. However, I feel like these do belong in there as they show as much power as the rest.
4. "Touched by An Angel"
In this powerful poem, Maya Angelou unveils the transformative power of love. Through vivid imagery, she reveals that love can sometime free us from emotional confinement. The poem's emotional tone is hopeful and optimistic, encouraging readers to be bold in the pursuit of love even though love does have a cost. As Maya Angelou writes:
"We, unaccustomed to courage/exiles from delight live coiled in shells of loneliness/ until love leaves its high holy temple."
5. "When Great Trees Fall"
Maya Angelou's response to loss reminds me of like a faint tapping of a drum. When influential figures depart, our foundations tremble. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on Maya Angelou's birthday left an incredible mark on her. The poem reminds us that regrets linger, but our lives are and always will be blessed by a person's influence. She writes:
"When great trees fall, rocks on distant hills shudder/ lions hunker down in tall grasses."
In conclusion I believe that "Maya Angelou: Poems" is a voyage through the history of poetry as a whole—one that beckons readers to listen closely and efficiently. Angelou’s book of poetry (one out of many) is a stellar addition to modern poetry, and her beautiful verses will linger like moon-kissed memories forever.
December 22, 2023
i think maya angelou might be one of my favorite poets. Her perspective from where she writes is so brash yet beautiful and tragic. The brashness of her writing i thinj comes from the frustration of having to deal with racial and sexual prejudice. I love how straightforward and honest all of her writing is too. Nothing is sugar coated and she gives you all the real details of the effects of racial injustice and how it affects her and the ones around her. I really appreciate this perspective just due to the fact of how i feel so projects so much rage in such a composed manner. I also love the way she talks about love and intimacy. she makes things feel so tender and warm. I love it!!
February 14, 2024
This compile Leeshan has some of Maya Angelou’s most famous pieces of poetry. I hadn’t ever read any of the poetry in Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water Before I Diii, Oh Pray My Wings Are Going to Fit Me Well, and Shaker, Why don’t you Sing? I admittedly struggled in their newness to me and felt my ability to decipher some of it was fairly week.
However, the third book contained Phenomenal Woman, And Still I Rise, I Ain’t Afraid. These are the poems that are so melodic and authentic and human that each of the hundred times you might read them you feel like you are both learning something new and feel so close to what she is trying to convey.
However, the third book contained Phenomenal Woman, And Still I Rise, I Ain’t Afraid. These are the poems that are so melodic and authentic and human that each of the hundred times you might read them you feel like you are both learning something new and feel so close to what she is trying to convey.
March 12, 2024
The first thing you notice about Maya Angelou’s poetry is its rhythm. All poetry has a certain rhythm but Angelou’s feels almost like a song, and not in a cheesy rhyming way. It feels inspired by the blues and jazz. This collection probably contains the best examples of rhythm I have ever encountered in poetry.
And it’s funny! Angelou is sometimes crude, sometimes sly, sometimes satirical and it makes her words feel fresh decades later.
These poems have enough depth that they can be analyzed and re-read, but are certainly accessible enough that even beginners could enjoy most. Maya Angelou was my favorite poet when I was eight! She’s for everyone.
And it’s funny! Angelou is sometimes crude, sometimes sly, sometimes satirical and it makes her words feel fresh decades later.
These poems have enough depth that they can be analyzed and re-read, but are certainly accessible enough that even beginners could enjoy most. Maya Angelou was my favorite poet when I was eight! She’s for everyone.
February 22, 2025
This is a book of Maya Angelou's poems, including some that are quite famous and you may have heard (though you may have the title wrong) of or even read. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend that you do, along with, of course, just about anyone who knows anything about poetry, literature, art and history. I am not a unique recommender. There is a group of people for whom these poems need to be required reading, but...they likely wouldn't understand anyway. If they did, then reading them wouldn't need to be required.
August 7, 2025
Beautiful amazing poems about being a woman, being black, being a black woman, loneliness, strength, resilience, and more! The kind of poetry that you need some time to recover from after reading. Some of my personal favorites:
On Diverse Deviations
We Saw Beyond Our Seeming
Here's to Adhering
Come, And Be My Baby
Wonder
Woman Me
Country Lover
A Kind of Love, Some Say
Phenomenal Woman
Men
Lady Luncheon Club
Woman Work
In Retrospect
A Good Woman Feeling Bad
Recovery
Impeccable Conception
Prelude to a Parting
Insomniac
The Lie
Prescience
Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?
On Diverse Deviations
We Saw Beyond Our Seeming
Here's to Adhering
Come, And Be My Baby
Wonder
Woman Me
Country Lover
A Kind of Love, Some Say
Phenomenal Woman
Men
Lady Luncheon Club
Woman Work
In Retrospect
A Good Woman Feeling Bad
Recovery
Impeccable Conception
Prelude to a Parting
Insomniac
The Lie
Prescience
Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?
May 17, 2024
this is just one of those moments where we see something is complicated, and difficult to understand fully in its depth, and consider that to be beautiful. at least, that is my predicament. there was only one towards the end that i really liked because it spoke to me. the other pieces were good as well, but they didn't really stand out to me. there are a lot of cultural, racial, and other social references sprinkled throughout the book that i thought were necessary and insightful.
April 18, 2025
The Lesson
I keep on dying again.
Veins collapse, opening like the
Small fists of sleeping
Children.
Memory of old tombs,
Rotting flesh and worms do
Not convince me against
The challenge. The years
And cold defeat live deep in
Lines along my face.
They dull my eyes, yet
I keep on dying,
Because I love to live.
I keep on dying again.
Veins collapse, opening like the
Small fists of sleeping
Children.
Memory of old tombs,
Rotting flesh and worms do
Not convince me against
The challenge. The years
And cold defeat live deep in
Lines along my face.
They dull my eyes, yet
I keep on dying,
Because I love to live.
November 22, 2025
An awesome source of history and motivation for myself as a writer who hopes to one day finally publish a book of my own poetry. So many of these poems resonate with me and every time I pick up this book and read several of Ms. Angelou's pieces, I want to write something new myself. Not to mention she is also an Arkansan like me lol.
May 21, 2023
Poetry had been calling to me and I picked this up at Barnes & Noble yesterday. Read it sitting in the sun with my morning coffee and the patio and felt very moved by a lot of her words. Will absolutely be sharing this one with friends and recommend.
August 31, 2024
When I think of Maya Angelou, my mind automatically goes to the poems "Phenomenal Woman" and "Still I Rise".
I loved reading her other works, and most of them I've never heard of until now. This is a book that I will keep forever.
I loved reading her other works, and most of them I've never heard of until now. This is a book that I will keep forever.
January 26, 2025
I have really been enjoying reading her writings! Her poems in this book have a great flow! Some of the poems are written deeply and I can understand/relate but there are others here that I don't relate to but they are still, of course, very well written!
June 12, 2025
really beautiful, its kind of interesting reading a poetry book cover to cover. I took my time to chew on these, but found a surprising narrative arc across sections and the book as a whole. I do like some more than others but overall really incredible. she didn't disappoint!
August 16, 2025
Me gustó mucho esta colección, muy hermosa, diversa en los tópicos de los poemas y con un buen ritmo. Mis favoritos fueron:
- They Went Home
- Now Long Ago
- Poor Girl
- Wonder
- Where We Belong, A Duet (¡mi favorito entre todos!)
- Just For A Time
- Still I Rise
- Weekend Glory
- Prescience
- They Went Home
- Now Long Ago
- Poor Girl
- Wonder
- Where We Belong, A Duet (¡mi favorito entre todos!)
- Just For A Time
- Still I Rise
- Weekend Glory
- Prescience
June 11, 2023
amazing!!!
February 17, 2024
I love how melodious Angelou is. The first collection in this anthology was my favorite.
March 2, 2024
There are some really beautiful poems in here, but some of them definitely went over my head.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews