Anyone that has been around me knows that I am obsessed with this book. It is basically an anthology of stories in the form of letters intended for the learning women of the world (which, of course, is all of us).
Here is an excerpt:
Condolences
For a too brief moment in the universe the veil was lifted. The mysterious became known. Questions met answers somewhere behind the stars. Furrowed brows were smoothed and eyelids closed over long unblinking stares.
Your beloved occupied the cosmos. You awoke to sunrays and nestled down to sleep in moonlight. All life was a gift open to you and burgeoning for you. Choirs sang to harps and your feet moved to ancestral drumbeats. For you were sustaining and being sustained by the arms of your beloved. Now the days stretch before you with the dryness and sameness of desert dunes. And in this season of grief we who love you have become invisible to you. Our words worry the empty air around you and you can sense no meaning in our speech.
Yet, we are here. We are still here. Our hearts ache to support you.
We are always loving you.
- Maya Angelou
This is a great short read. The concept of “Letter to my daughter” is derived from the fact that Maya Angelou had no biological daughters but is definitely a mother figure for many women and these stories and life lessons go out to them.
Enjoy ;)
Jess
