“And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.”
–Maya Angelou
Here is actually the entire poem which I love.
When Great Trees Fall
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance,
fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
of dark, cold
caves.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
–Maya Angelou
Below: Part of Kaitlyn’s bookshelf at home…..
Thank you for sharing her wisdom
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Thank you for this wonderful quote from a remarkable woman. I had not read this before. It seems like it’s very true that knowing Kaitlyn made many people’s lives richer.
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You’re welcome. I have always admired her and just by chance a week or so ago I saw her on a re-run of Oprah Winfrey’s Master Class and she was amazing.
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I know so too. And how fitting this poem from such a wonderful person.
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Yes- and I also remembered that this amazing lady taught at Wake Forest for quite some time 🙂
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Yes she did. 🙂
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First time I’ve seen that quote. Thank you.
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You’re welcome.
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What a meaningful poem. I didn’t know it before, so thank you so much for sharing it.
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You’re welcome. It is a great poem.
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