Reflections on Maya Angelou's "The Lesson"

On Death and Life (in that order)

The Lesson

I keep on dying again.
Veins collapse, opening like the
Small fists of sleeping
Children.
Memory of old tombs,
Rotting flesh and worms do
Not convince me against
The challenge. The years
And cold defeat live deep in
Lines along my face.
They dull my eyes, yet
I keep on dying,
Because I love to live.

Hmm. My soul has been mining this poem as the truth of it unfolds before me. Is this not the story of each of us? We die many deaths this side of heaven. We breathe many first breaths this side of heaven.

All learning is choosing death for the sake of life. Revelations come with no choice but to leave behind an old idea, or at least shed layers off it. Each new space filled reveals an empty space that’s been there all along. In Robert Capon’s Hunting the Divine Fox, he describes every moment as God’s recreating of everything—down to the atoms. Bursts of life at each millisecond to make reality what we see before us, what we sense in our spirit, the existence of all things and the gift of holding life within us. Each breath, a new life.

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Extras

1. And Still I Rise contains today’s featured poem. I prefer buying used books when possible. When searching for a specific book, my first stop is my local used book store. Then, if needed, Thrift Books is a great online resource.

2. Lianna La Havas’ voice carries a heat and a healing. Sit with it if you have time: Say a Little Prayer.

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