Maya Angelou dedicated more than half of her life into creating pieces that open up emotions, move mountains and heal wounds. A beautiful and a talented soul, Angelou is not just a poet but also a civil rights activist, a playwright, a composer, an actress, a singer and a dancer. But writing has been her first love and from there, she has fascinatingly crafted words of love, passion and hurt into poignant poems. Some of her popular love poems are Remembrance, When You Come, Passing Time, A Conceit and unquestionably the most acclaimed of all of her romantic piecesㅡ Touched By an Angel. These remarkable poems talk about the beauty of love that revolves around happiness, grief, anger and pleasure. Here are some highlights from her collection of love poems.
Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
When you have withdrawn
your self and the magic,
when only the smell of your
love lingers between
my breasts, then, only
then, can I greedily consume
your presence.
Offering me, as to a child, an attic,
Gatherings of days too few.
Baubles of stolen kisses.
Trinkets of borrowed loves.
Trunks of secret words,
Let others have the privacy of touching words
and love of loss of love.
Your skin like dawn
Mine like musk
One paints the beginning
of a certain end.
The other, the end of a
sure beginning.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free
Your hands easy
weight, teasing the bees
hived in my hair, your smile at the
slope of my cheek.
On the occasion, you press
above me, glowing, spouting
readiness, mystery rapes
my reason
Give me your hand
Make room for me
to lead and follow you
beyond this rage of poetry.
Now if you listen closely
I’ll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
‘Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.