Max’s [Final] Musings: Maya Angelou

Before I begin, I want to start by thanking everyone, whether you have read all of Max’s Musings or this is your first one. When presented with the opportunity to explore my love for poetry in a new way and share my thoughts and experiences, I lunged at the chance to do so. Poetry has always been an escape for me as it has taught me more about myself than I could ever fathom.

For my final Max’s Musings, I selected a poem from the powerhouse poet Maya Angelou. I couldn’t think of a more remarkable poet to ride out this long-awaited train. Maya Angelou, most known for her poems “Still I Rise”, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, and “Phenomenal Women”, allows her wisdom and strength to flourish throughout her writing.

An excerpt from Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou really stuck out to me for Angelou’s inspiring views and thoughts on both art and literature. Its relatability and honesty are things I can take with me wherever I go as a thoughtful creative.

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All great artists draw from the same resource: the human heart.

Art iwas the flower of life and despite the years of ill-treatment Black artists were among its most glorious blossoms.

Cooking is like writing poetry: Be careful in the choice of your ingredients and respectful of how they work together. That’s true of all efforts in life.

Every experience shapes your writing, being stuck in a car on a lonely bridge, or dancing at a prom, being the it girl on the beach, all of those things influence your life, they influence how you write, and the topics you choose to write about.

For a person who grew up in the ’30s and ’40s in the segregated South, with so many doors closed to me without explanation, libraries and books said, “Here I am, read me.” Take time to read.

I knew that words, despite the old saying, never fail. And my reading had given me words to spare.

I realized I was not a writer who teaches, but a teacher who writes.

I’ve had people explain to me what one of my poems meant, and I’ve been surprised that it meant that to them. If a person can use a poem of mine to interpret her life or his life, good. I can’t control that. Nor would I want to.

If a little learning is dangerous, a little fame can be devastating. 

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There is a lot to unpack from Angelou’s powerful words. The creation of art must start from somewhere and Angelou has no problem pinpointing that it should begin with “the human heart”. It is not always easy to tap into, but those who possess the ability make for the strongest and brightest poets.

The artist, like a flower, can only excel as well as the habitat it blossoms into. When forced to face periods of adversity and “ill-treatment” like Angelou has, the ability to make art is sometimes the only way to rage against or withstand said adversity. Regardless of what harbors your writing or artwork, I applaud those who are brave enough to create in the first place when the world works overtime to convince you not to.

Whether it’s a distant memory, a simple word, or a daily event, poetry can be born from the smallest to the grandest of places. Just because a memory, however earth-shattering or prevalent it has become to the makeup of you, doesn’t mean it must be turned into a piece of art. “Every experience” that makes up an individual deserves to be addressed and find healing.

Who has the final say when it comes to what a work of art means? The artist or the viewer? The poet or the reader? Angelou discusses the idea of authorial intent. While there are those who feel the creator is the one who has the final say in a work’s meaning, Angelou was not one of them. A poem can hold a thousand meanings to a thousand people or more than one to one individual.

It is not enough to simply create but be fortunate enough to share it, pass it on, and instill wisdom and creativity of your own in others. Art is not meant to be appreciated alone.

Even if one’s interpretation doesn’t coincide with the creator’s original intent or idea, it does not make it wrong. It makes it right for that individual and how they use it “to interpret her life or his life”.

As creators, we do not always see the aftermath of how our works affect and alter the lives of the cherishers; but on a rare chance one does, embrace it and solidify it into a permanent memory even if you “are surprised it meant that to them”.

Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou with Seattle Art Museum in background.

The Evergreen Echo

When gifted with the opportunity to share one’s works like Angelou has had, one must remember why they started in the first place. A “little fame” or acknowledgement may come in the long run, but I believe it should never be the reason why one begins to create.

When I first started writing poetry, I felt compelled to create epic poems drenched with flowery language and vague symbolism. Whenever someone would ask me what the poems were about, I would respond with, I don’t know. I just wanted it to sound pretty.

After attending college for creative writing and completing many workshops, my writing has progressed and reached a higher sense of elevation. As a writer, or anyone in a creative field, you and your craft are never done evolving.  

Writing that is straightforward, direct, and simplistic can be just as powerful, thought provoking, and honest as the poetry of the past. I implore you to create no matter what medium finds its way into your hands and foster it into whatever you need it to be.

As poetry and art shifts, we must do the same.