"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings"
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
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
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.
Born in St. Louis in 1928, Angelou grew up in a segregated society that she worked to change during the civil rights era. This poem was written because Maya Angelou, who refused to speak for much of her childhood, revealed the scars of her past in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the first of a series of memoirs. Through a series of personal events, feelings, and thoughts, Maya Angelou was able to captivate her readers. Maya grew from being the insecure little girl in Arkansas to the strong woman who realizes that she can trust herself and will be able to keep moving forward.
The poem is put together by having different symbols and descriptions to give the reader a sense of what is actually going on.
I love how she incorporates this because you can feel the pain in her heart and know what some of the things and problems that not only her but other people growing up in that era had to deal with.
