Altho I had planned on posting no Michael Jackson stories today (in the hopes that I could move on from his death after attending his memorial service at the Staples Center here in Los Angeles, CA earlier this week), I ended up posting the coverphoto of the new issue of Q magazine (which, it seems, is the last magazine photoshoot that MJ did before his death) earlier today because I felt it was worth sharing. But, since I already posted one MJ story, I figured it’d be appropriate to post another more positive blogpost. A few Pink readers asked me for the text of the Maya Angelou poem that Queen Latifah read aloud at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service so I will pass that along now, in full, here:
We Had Him
Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing, now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.
Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace. Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.
In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing. No clocks can tell time. No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.
Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.
Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.
He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.
Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.
He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.
We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.
His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.
And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.
We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing. He gave us all he had been given.
Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana’s Black Star Square.
In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England
We are missing Michael.
But we do know we had him, and we are the world.
What a beautiful, touching and very fitting tribute. I do love this poem, as I love all of Dr. Angelou’s poetry. After the jump, watch video of Queen Latifah reading the last portion of this poem on stage at the Staples Center during the Michael Jackson Memorial Service earlier this week …
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