Peter Pan

I make porcelain dolls:
dresses, frills,
smiles.
Fingertips drag longingly
through their ringlets.

Children traipse by,
complain.
Two green eyes
follow them -
hands grasp the
empty air.
"Peter," Wendy sighs, "everyone
grows old."

Reflection -
Wrinkles across a sunken face,
scrubbing.

The dolls stare.

Maya Angelou

As a poetry lover, I'm constantly on the look-out for new poets and reading new poetry. Recently, I have been reading The Complete Collected Poems by Maya Angelou and I have fallen in love with her writing style. It's witty, clean, rhythmic and full of emotion. It feels genuine - the sort of writing you could find in a diary, that friendly warm voice full of passion.

I came across Maya Angelou by searching on Google things like: "best poets" or "top 10 best poets" and her name came up multiple times. I hadn't heard of her beforehand, but, I appreciate most poetry and tend to enjoy all of it, so, I took a chance and bought her book. I didn't make a mistake. Her poetry is beautifully finished and full of unique style - a style I haven't come across in other poetry. Her poems are often about the struggles she's had of being a black woman and often the theme of slavery appears in her work. I always feel sad when I read her poetry, but honoured that I can read such incredible work and can be involved in her experiences. It's like she's written her emotions on some paper and added rhythm and style to it.

Maya Angelou is most well known for her autobiography: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. I haven't read this myself but it's on my "To Read" list (which is highly extensive).

I thoroughly recommend her to anyone who enjoys reading poetry - don't miss out, you will not be disappointed!