When I picked this up, I had no idea what to expect. My mouth stands open. I feel like I've read a map to the entryway of my soul. I keep going back and reading my favorite parts over and over. I am in love with these words. They come off the page in my own voice, like they speak from somewhere I have been already, remember acutely. Gibran himself is a prophet, only a prophet could speak such true words. I want to quote him here to give you a taste, here the prophet is speaking of love:
"For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.
...
But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears."
-Kahlil Gibran
When I read a Maya Angelou book or poem, I hear her low southern voice coming off the page. This was a marvelous little read, as is all Dr. Angelou's work. And I read it in honor of the upcoming holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. Angelou is not only a wonder at pulling the heart of African-Americans out of darkness, but she is equally as strong at the heart of women. And each little morsel of love that she has written here gives empowerment along with humility. I enjoyed this deeply and find myself reflecting on it throughout my busy day, bringing peace and sanity to this chaotic world.
J.L.Wills
