Poetry Spontaneously -- MAYA ANGELOU

Maya Angelou
from npr.org

I don't often listen to the radio, no matter how great NPR is--kind of like I don't often watch TV, save hours of Discovery and Food Network, no matter how great PBS is.  Thankfully, there are others more faithful and cultured than I, who pay closer attention to the stuff that matters more than braised beef cheek and exploding bulldozers (though I expect Angelou may enjoy both).  James Smith being one (check out his most recent PBS nod HERE), my Uncle Bert being another.

I got a notification of a nice little article--I don't know how else to put it--on the great Maya Angelou.  Check out the write-up, or listen to it, HERE.

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I don't know if I'm allowed to do this; if there's a problem, I'll dish it off on the blog I pulled it from.

Dr. Angelou's poem, which she recited during her NPR spot:

The Health-Food Diner

No sprouted wheat and soya shoots
And Brussels in a cake,
Carrot straw and spinach raw,

(Today, I need a steak).

Not thick brown rice and rice pilaw
Or mushrooms creamed on toast,
Turnips mashed and parsnips hashed,
(I'm dreaming of a roast).

Health-food folks around the world
Are thinned by anxious zeal,
They look for help in seafood kelp
(I count on breaded veal).

No smoking signs, raw mustard greens,
Zucchini by the ton,
Uncooked kale and bodies frail
Are sure to make me run

to

Loins of pork and chicken thighs
And standing rib, so prime,
Pork chops brown and fresh ground round
(I crave them all the time).

Irish stews and boiled corned beef
and hot dogs by the scores,
or any place that saves a space
For smoking carnivores.