Extract from the poem "We Had Him" by Maya Angelou. 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 we learn that he is gone we know nothing No clocks can tell our time and 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 of life he was sheathed in mother love and family love and survived and did not more than that He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style We had him Whether we knew who he was or did not know, he was our's and we were his We had him Beautiful, delighting our eyes He raked his hat slant 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.