Poetry Friday Golden Shovel and Painting

I have a Golden Shovel poem for Poetry Friday. The poem was inspired by Maya Angelou’s Caged Bird. I used the second stanza lines from Maya Angelou’s poem to create my poem. I’m also including a portion of Caged Bird below and you can read the rest of it at the Poetry Foundation

SONGS OF TRUTH Golden Shovel

Mama I know truth, but
how do I know a
lie? I know how a bird
sings, its beautiful song that
stretches across tall stalks,
spreading over the earth, tumbling down
ravines and valleys full of his
showering sunshine. But what of the narrow
no-light passages, do lies live in this cage?
What about my friend, can
I trust him; does he know truth? He seldom
listens to the bird’s song. What does he see
when he looks through
his own eyes? Does he see his
friend? Does he see me, or does he see bars
that are blocking the light of
truth and bringing on his rage.
How can I help him see his
shining light through the wings
of the bird? Are
his wings clipped
short too? And
how can we be friends when his
body is tethered to the ground, and his feet
won’t listen to his heart. Lie, are
you near, let go­–do not be tied
to my friend, we so
long to hear the song of the bird together, he
has shunned the bars, and opens
his heart, his
voice, and throat
longing now to
sing.

© 2017 Michelle Kogan

CAGED BIRD

BY MAYA ANGELOU

A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind   

and floats downstream   

till the current ends

and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and   

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn

and he names the sky his own 

I’ve been reading two books that have sections on Maya Angelou. One is,  Parting the Curtains, Interviews with Southern Writers. The second one is, Fight Like a Girl, 50 Feminists Who Changed the World. I’m sharing a few quotes from the second book by Maya Angelou.

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”

“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody”

The Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche, be sure to stop by her blog for what she’s offering up, and also for more poems. Thanks for hosting Margaret!