When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou
When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou Line by Line Paraphrase (Please keep a copy of poem in front of you before reading the paraphrase) When great trees fall,………safety When magnificent and towering trees collapse, Even rocks far away tremble, Lions crouch low in the tall grass, And elephants move slowly towards a place of safety. When great trees fall ……. fear When these massive trees collapse, In the midst of forests, Small creatures retreat and become silent, Their awareness dulled, feeling something beyond just fear. When great souls die…….hurtful clarity When extraordinary people pass away, The atmosphere around us turns Thin, uncommon, and pure. We take short breaths. For a moment, our eyes See everything with painful clarity. Our memory……….taken Our memory, suddenly keen, Reviews, Dwells on kind words, That were left unspoken, On walks we promised to take, But never did. Great souls die ……..wizened When great souls leave this world, Our sense of reality, tied to them, Also ...