CONTINUE: a poem by Maya Angelou

My wish for you is that you continue
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To be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness
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To allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart
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In a society dark with cruelty to let the people hear the grandeur of God in the peals of your laughter Continue
To let your eloquence elevate the people to heights they had only imagined
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To remind the people that each is as good as the other and that no one is beneath nor above you
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To remember your own young years and look with favor upon the lost and the least and the lonely
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To put the mantle of your protection around the bodies of the young and defenseless
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To take the hand of the despised and diseased and walk proudly with them in the high street Some might see you and be encouraged to do likewise
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To plant a public kiss of concern 0n the cheek of the sick and the aged and infirm And count that as a natural action to be expected
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To let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good
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To ignore no vision which comes to enlarge your range and increase your spirit
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To dare to love deeply and risk everything for the good thing
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To float happily in the sea of infinite substance which set aside riches for you before you had a name
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And by doing so you and your work will be able to continue eternally

Blessings for 2020