<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Do I Have to Die</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br class=""></span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><i style="font-size: 14px;" class="">For Maya Angelou</i></span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Do I Have to Die</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">to get your attention</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I was great from the start</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I have spelunked</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">the depth of silence</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I have heard the music of the word</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">within the human heart</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I have borne travail</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">and surveyed the trail</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">of the four corners of this earth, </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">and hell as well</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Do I have to die</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">to get your attention</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I am a woman</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">That is all</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">That is plenty</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Does that address</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">reside within your breast?</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">plenty, travail, fecundity.</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I know it well.</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Hell, I was raped</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">before puberty</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">had a child at sixteen</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I carried on.</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">through realms of silence</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">searched for my home</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">in Europe, Egypt </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">black Africa and beyond</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I settled in </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">North Carolina</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I know it well.</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I settled..</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">alone</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">yet not alone</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I am a woman.</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I am one with the unity</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">of our gathering community.</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Do I have to Die</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">to get your attention.</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Well then read me.</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Must I be dead to </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">be well read?</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br class=""></span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- David Bean</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">A tribute to Maya Angelou</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Died May 28, 2014</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">of a life of 86 years</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">of silence and eloquence</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">of forbearance and perseverance</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">and music of word and nuance </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">theater, art, leadership and dance</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">and a stream of undaunted courage.</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Maya Angelou did not accomplish this</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">on bended knees</span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">after all, she earned 50 honorary degrees.</span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br class=""></span></div></div></body></html>