Give it a rest, already!

Some have told me to "Give the Maya Angelou thing a rest, already."  It may sound strange, but after reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I feel like I've known Maya for my entire life.  For a book to impact me like that is amazing.  It was like someone really knew and understood my soul. Not my feelings, not my emotions -- my soul.

That kind of a connection through text, and text alone, does not come easily.  I, too, know why the caged bird sings.  There is a feeling of entrapment, of a shadowy cloud that cannot and will not stop hovering just over your head.  Seeing the stories that such a phenomenal woman went through on paper in front of me not only showed themselves to my eyes, they spoke to me.  The words were more than just mere words on that page -- they were Maya's soul poured into the binding of that book.  Maya's soul, my mother's soul, my father's soul, my sister's soul, my brother's soul, my friend's soul, your soul and everyone's soul.

Words on a page can have a far deeper impact than just passing a story along. But having the ability to talk to the woman behind the voice on that page was the most... liberating experience.  Hearing Dr. Angelou explain the process of Caged Bird to ME -- not explaining it to Larry King, or Oprah but to me: Turner G Cowles -- was absolutely amazing. Amazing, frankly, doesn't do that situation justice. There really are no words to adequately describe how it felt to hear her say "Hello, good morning. Is this Mr. Cowles?"  Here is a woman who has, not only talked about doing, but done things in her life that so many people never even dream of: working with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, studying in Africa, learning six languages, teaching at Wake Forest, and writing poetry and books galore. And from all of this, she was talking to me.  Now, I may have been just one interview on that particular day, but for those minutes, she was talking with me.  ME. Lowly little college journalist at FSU.

So, to "give it a rest" would be a horrible injustice to Ms. Angelou and to her legacy. I will forever cherish those minutes with her forever.