A review by kghunter
Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer by Maya Angelou

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0

I truly cannot think of a more talented author/poet than Maya Angelou. This collection of poems is on par with the rest of her work, which is to say—unbelievably beautiful and inspiring—the kind of art that makes you appreciate and honor what it means to be human. To be here on this earth with one another. To yield to the unification with all that came before us, walks alongside us, and follows in our footsteps; inextricably linked in the search for peace. 
The lyricism of Angelou’s work is both bold and deliberate, both gentle and alive. Regardless of the conceptual and/or theoretical depths of any which poem, she maintains a steady hold on the childlike wonder and jubilation that marks all of her work with identifying strokes. 
Some of my favorite quotes from this collection include:

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived. And if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” 

“I am not metaphor, I’m not symbol. I’m not a nightmare to vanish with the dawn. I am lasting as hunger, and certain as midnight.”

“In your absence I rehearse you.” 

“You must know the difference between seeking after justice, and lusting for revenge.”