Rush
for Dr. Angelou

Rush,
to flaunt their words, a song… some murmuring muddle of a muse explaining
How       much       you       mean
Yet ,
MotherWell, you were the slaughtered meat
that poisoned a lion whose
death did not heed the baaaaa baaaa
of the lambs roar
Ashamed, of your speech, accosted, you
silenced a self, that drilled a fount of guilt
that grumbled volcanic geyser…
made islands of us
Yowl is your yester’ and this day’s howl
on a nations soul, one that
unlearned to yell and yank their dreams
from yonder sky
A’tell you the story of when your flying spirit rested, how the depth of your living
voice slept, and as you napped
pulse-sing… letters Rushed
to… flaunt a wordSong that muddied YouMuseEyeNeverWillMiss
for MayaQuench, you water of a sound wind, Angelouuuu
Still strum droplets from your Mother…well

 

Illustration © George Panagopoulos

Illustration © George Panagopoulos

Toni Bee served as the Poet Populist of Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as the position of Artist Fellow at Citi Performing Arts Center in Boston. She currently serves as co-host of the Stone Soup reading series and the podcast “The Oddball Hour with PB n’ J.”

George Panagopoulos is an Artist, Writer, and Comedian from Worcester, MA.