Old Folks Laugh by Maya Angelou
Old Folks Laugh
Maya AngelouThey have spent their
content of simpering,
holding their lips this
and that way, winding
the lines between
their brows. Old folks
allow their bellies to jiggle like slow
tambourines.
The hollers
rise up and spill
over any way they want.
When old folks laugh, they free the world.
They turn slowly, slyly knowing
the best and the worst
of remembering.
Saliva glistens in
the corners of their mouths,
their heads wobble
on brittle necks, but
their laps
are filled with memories.
When old folks laugh, they consider the promise
of dear painless death, and generously
forgive life for happening
to them.
MARGINALIA
I never really liked Angelou, but upon a cloud of things that go unwanted, sometimes the world takes my shoulders and persuades me to make a few exceptions.
ABOUT MAYA ANGELOU
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. Among her volumes of poetry are A Brave and Startling Truth (Random House, 1995); The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (Random House, 1994); Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now (Random House, 1993); I Shall Not Be Moved (Random House, 1990); Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing? (Random House, 1983); Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit… (more)
Read more poems by Maya Angelou • Find books by this poet on Amazon • Bookshop • Or view my library
ENDNOTES
- Explore other works in pursuit of: wisdom • aging • joy • Or browse the index
- If this work resonates with you, please consider supporting the archive. Thank you for reading.
Summer
So sad to hear about her passing this morning.
She seemed like a truly remarkable woman.