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.

An incredible and beautiful piece of work. But pretty much anything Maya lays her pen to is brilliant.

She is one of the greatest poets because when she writes she looses visions...

beautiful...

i was lucky to see her once in person, reading her beautiful words...

You did?! You are so lucky to have seen her.

I would have loved to have heard her voice read MJ's tribute.

I may sound crazy, but when Queen Latifa was reading this all I heard was Maya Angelou's voice.............

It's not crazy at all.

I agree not crazy at all.

Winx: i was lucky to see her when she came to our local university, but it was over a decade ago. when something was so long ago, it sometimes feels like a dream.

i agree too, not crazy at all. i had even told my son, you can tell thats maya...the flow, the words...amazing!!!

Ty for posting MA's tribute

Godspeed.