Rare Footage of Dr. Angelou: On a Caged Bird Song

http://features.aol.com/video/rare-footage-shows-maya-angelou-discussing-her-long-awaited-album?icid=aol|carousel|dl1

Rare footage shows Maya Angelou discussing her long-awaited album

The late iconic American writer, poet, actor, dancer, director, composer, and lecturer Dr. Maya Angelou's long-awaited album Caged Bird Songs is officially available today via Smooch Music. The album blends Maya's poetic spoken words with modern hip-hop production, and was produced by RoccStarr (Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, CeeLo Green) and Shawn Rivera (lead singer of Az Yet, the R&B vocal pop group formerly on La Face/Arista Records). Before her passing, Maya discussed the album and its impact, saying, "This project is important. It's woven into the tapestry of our lives, and we're being serious and giving and kind about it." In celebration of Caged Bird Songs, a very special and rare clip of Maya discussing the album can be seen exclusively at AOL.com.  Maya Angelou's Caged Bird Songs is available today via Smooch Music.  

For more info, go to:

www.cagedbirdsongs.com.

Distractions-Nat'l Poetry Month

Distractions

By Jacquelyn Hughes Mooney ©12



There are too many things that can serve as a distraction

That can lead to a disaster.

Some can be innocent but still master...

Some are mundane others are downright insane.

If one is not mindful

Some of these things can suck you in, suck you dry

Taking out all the joy that makes you fly.

And the process making it the main thing…

Instead of the lame thing…

That unearned focus can drain your bounty, even your fame.

Distractions by its very name

As in a lil bit of this

And a lot of that

Can force all your hopes smack down in the drain…

Where all that you are to become actually ends up as sewage

(And there will be no one to blame)

Inflamed…

Needlessly hopelessly “I’ve been framed”!

You’re allowing distractions to be the bane of your existence…

No matter how minor or mundane

Can misappropriate center stage & became…

A colossal error of which you can reframe…

Leaving behind that dinner party where nobody came.

Distractions is the twisting of the neck not unlike a crane

Looking downright foolish

And la deed a lame

A waste of precious time & possibly your name

Now wouldn’t that be insane.

All rights reservedJHM3-31-12©revised 4-20-13


The quote below does not mean anyone should walk around paranoid, hyper-vigilant, wary, over suspicious.  We havemore then enough of that in the world today. This quote from this very smart young man is, however, spot on.

Pay attention to this young man, Trent Shelton, you're going to hear many great things from him!

http://youtu.be/iUYVVIC0wFs

Poetic License~My Best Friend

This afternoon trying to stay busy as not to cry again, I was looking through my catalog of poems trying to find one I had written 14 years ago on my other best friend Phylis who died in 2001. 

I had a friend of mine who was trying to help a couple of months ago & accidently wiped out my hard drive we thought with all my manuscripts, art & poetry. Over the last few months I have painstakingly retrieved a few from various sources. 

Well this afternoon I did something I had never done before and did a search on my desktop and two amazing things happen: 1. I found my manuscript, my poetry and 2 years of essays! 

I've been copying them as quickly as I could when all of a sudden.. .

2. I found a poem that Karen had written back in 1982! I am sharing that with you today to honor my friend. Karen & I have done poetry readings before, she had been the voice, the narrator of my doc on Katrina. I am going to share it with her family when I put the quilt together for them... 

 

Flight

                     By Karen F. Hurst ©82

When I was a child I believed I could fly

I told this to my mother who'd watch me and sigh

"Girl, you're a child, not a sparrow or a wren,"

Then she pause and say sternly, " Don't say that again"

The subject was closed, but I knew I was right.

I'd go to my room, close the door and take flight!

Later I'd tell her just how high I flew

She'd say,"You 're dreaming, dear." Ah! but I knew.

No, this is no dream, I'd cry to myself

As I flew from my bed to perch high on a shelf.

And I vovwed to myself that one day she'd see

What she thought was a bird in the sky would be me!

As I grew older, I forgot I had wings.

I was told to be "normal" to do "normal things"

The more normal I got, the more Mother smile

"You're a sensible girl, not flighty or wild

Dream dreams if you must, but to make them come true.

Be sure they make sense to those around you"

Now, thats good sound advice if you happen to be,

One who's not seen the world from the top of a tree.

But, I had tho' I knew no one'd believe

So I stayed on the ground and let my soul grieve.

I prayed tho' some day again I'd take flight

My flying now trapped inthe wings of the night.

The older I got, the more trapped I became

Like a bird who's been caught and who's wings had gone

                                lame

I convinced myself I'd imagined it all.

I couldn't fly, I"d do nothing but fall

My mother was right, I didn't have wings

I confined my spirit to sensible things

I did all the things I saw others do,

And didn't know why I was so sad & blue.

Its hard to be someone you know when you're not.

Deep down within, my poor spirit fought.

The wings of my soul beat hard on the cage'I soon found myself filled with bitterness's rage!

Just as I felt that I had been beat,

My spirit hung limp with the thought of defeat.

Just as I told myself I'd fly no more

A great hand touched my cage and opened the door!

The hand held two birds, two tiny white doves,

Both given to me with a great deal of love.

They looked up at me, large eyes filled with wonder

"Teach them to fly", said a voice filled like thunder

"But humans can't fly, is what Mother said....

If we cannot fly, then we'd rather be dead".

In shock and with fear, I looked into those eyes,

"Don't say that my darlings, I'll teach you to fly!"

We went to the top of a very high hill

All the earth seemed to stop, all greww very still.

"I've not flown for years," I tried to explain.

No excuse would do.  It grew very plain.

I looked into those faces and then at the sky-

"God, if you're up there, please help me to fly"

I raised heavenward and then took flight!

What a glorious feeling!  A wonderful sight!

I;d never again deny my soul's needs.

The cage door was open, I knew I'd been freed!

And I heard myself say, flying into the blue,

"God does answer prayers!  Dreams do come true!"

All Rights ReservedKFH©6-82

Po*e*try- Mr. Josephus Thompson~Aggie Pride

Miranda Wu,photographer©11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23ZBZJscuwo&feature=youtube_gdata

The Size of her Soul

By III

The sun could rise and set in the size of her soul

Not his story, but her story

The fabric of life sewn together by the treads of struggle and sacrifice

Time and space

Jolly, bold, giving and determined

Gifted, blessed, encouraged, and loved

Rising from the depths of the lower 9th ward with patches of expression

Lines of life, poetry in motion

Cotton that speaks volumes

Textiles that teach and inspire

Vibrant yellows, oranges and purples

Hues of peace and understanding, passion and purpose

Patterns of elegance stitched by circumstance

Similar to the moon in her name

Her life’s light that which illuminate the night sky and inspire us to push through dark times

Leading with inspiration and faith to safety

To higher ground where foundations are built

Where survival is learned

Where concern doesn’t begin and end with self

Where preservation is about community, family and responsibility

For her it all comes together so simply and naturally

Jacquelyn Hughes Mooney

III©

Mr. Josephus Thompson III, poet

Poetic License for Sunday April 3,2011~Mr. Saul Williams

Here is my Sunday afternoon poem of the day... There are no words I can add other then there is no age, stature,class or education requirement to feel that kind of love...

This Type Love

 By Saul Williams©06

I want a love like me thinking of you thinking of me thinking of you type love or me telling my friends more than I've ever admitted to myself about how I feel about you type love or hating how jealous you are but loving how much you want me all to yourself type love

or seeing how your first name just sounds so good next to my last name.

and shit- I wanted to see how far I could get without calling you and I barely made it out of my garage.

See, I want a love that makes me wait until she falls asleep then wonder if she's dreaming about us being in love type love or who loves the other more or what she's doing at this exact moment or slow dancing in the middle of our apartment to the music of our hearts.

Closing my eyes and imagining how a love so good could just hurt so much when she's not there and shit I love not knowing where this love is headed type love.

And check this-

I wanna place those little post-it notes all around the house so she never forgets how much I love her type love

then not have enough ink in my pen to write all the love type love and hope I make her feel as good as she makes me feel

and I wanna deal with my friends making fun of me the way I made fun of them when they went through the same kind of love type love.

The only difference is this is one of those real type loves

and just like in high school I wanna spend hours on the phone not saying shit and then fall asleep and then wake up with her right next to me and smell her all up in my covers type love and I wanna try counting the ways I love her then lose count in the middle just so I could start all over again

and I wanna celebrate one of those one-month anniversaries even though they ain't really anniversaries but doing it just 'cause it makes her happy type love

and check this-

I wanna fall in love with the melody the phone plays when our numbers dial in type love and talk to you until I lose my breath, she leaves me breathless, but with the expanding of my lungs I inhale all of her back into me.

I want a love that makes me need to change my cell phone calling plan to something that allows me to talk to her longer 'cause in all honesty, I want to avoid one of them high cell phone bill type loves

and I don't want a love that makes me regret how small my hands are I mean the lines on my palms don't give me enough time to love you as long as I'd like to type love

and I want a love that makes me st-st-st-stutter just thinking about how strong this love is type love and I want a love that makes me want to cut off all my hair. Well maybe not all of the hair, maybe like I'd cut the split ends and trim the mustache but it would still be a symbol of how strong my love is for her.

I kind of feel comfortable now so I even be fantasize about walking out on a green light just dying to get hit by a car just so I could lose my memory, get transported to some third world country just to get treated and somehow meet up again with you so I could fall in love with you in a different language and see if it still feels the same type love.

I want a love that's as unexplainable as she is, but I'm married so she is gonna be the one I share this love with.

Mr. Saul Williams,poet