Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
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    One of my favorite poems is the one above by Maya Angelou. Out of all the stanzas, I was most particularly struck by the rhymes and words and metaphors in the first, third and sixth stanzas. The opening lines strikes you because it gives off a strong presence of mental and physical toughness. The poem is raw and authentic; nothing seems artificial from the poet. This particular line gives the rawness in a metaphorical sense, “You may trod me in the very dirt, But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” It gives the message to stay strong and endure the tougher times in life. Also, the rhetorical questions that Maya Angelou’s uses here goes very well in that she answers them throughout the poem by saying, “Still I rise.”
    As it states, “Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides... Still I rise.” The tides of our ocean bodies are controlled by the gravitational attractions between the moon and sun. There are high tides and low tides accordingly to the positions of the sun and the moon. I love the optimism that exudes from this poem. No matter what, “I rise, I rise, I rise.” In the sixth stanza, “You may shoot me with your words,You may cut me with your eyes,You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I'll rise.” The stanza speaks for itself. You can say racial slurs, mock me, or make fun of me, but in the end, I will rise above, so to speak. The message of never giving up and sufficing is clear and concise.
    I hope you all like and enjoy this poem as I do myself. Although the message is simple, it is nevertheless powerful. When you’re in a depressing or simply bad mood, read this poem. It can give you strength and motivate you through the words.