LIGHT FROM THE PIT
by Danny Maness

Hear my cries echoing from the pit,

Clap, clap, clap ancient ones,

While the yellow brick walls ooze green slime,

How can I scale the steep wall,

with the slippery slide of prejudice surrounding me?

Maya Angelou felt the hopelessness of the pit,

Her fears were based on the reality of things seen,

A tragic childhood memory never forgotten,

Then the piling on, piling on,

Until she finally realized she was Maya Angelou.

The light beaming from her face,

Could have only been ignited in the pit,

That face, HER face was sheer joy,

The antithesis of hate, and bigotry.

How bright a glow from the lamp,

burning in the deepest darkest places,

A light out in the sunshine can barely be seen,

But how clear the flame lit in the darkness.

I have a pit to climb from every day,

Oh, how I've prayed to have Maya Angelou's spirit,

I'm not even close,

I wonder if she can throw me a ladder now?