In her riveting voice, Angelou’s cadence captures this promise: “History, despite its wrenching pain / Cannot be unlived, but if faced / With courage, need not be lived again.” There we have it—the powerful motivation of the massive peaceful protests that inspired our country on January 21 and reverberated worldwide. “On the Pulse of Morning” once again serves as a summons to action, each of us newly wise to what can’t be undone but can be corrected.
Read MoreThen, in 1993, Maya Angelou stole Michael Jordan’s star power. I happily picture the young philosophers as they watched rebroadcasts of her reciting her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at the Clinton Inauguration—their eyes wide, bodies completely still, posture growing more erect, big smiles when she included “children” in her invitation to a new day. A rocking celebrity poet! Dr. Angelou was the cool one now. I repeatedly used her poem to discuss the concept of Justice with them and I also suggest an activity based on it in Little Big Minds. Quite a delight it was to witness the children’s first tiptoes into poetry—from Virginia to Chicago to California.
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planet earth dwellers / forgive us our trespasses / we will right this ship
Marching Forward—Pete Buttigieg at Selma and Protestors Everywhere
Getting the Scoop—Aaron Parnas and Project Salt Box
Art for the Heart—“Sinners” and Olivia Dean sing, Mary Oliver laughs
bowing to beauty / oh-oh-oh, mm-hm-mm (hey!) / April’s a’flaunting