Maya Angelou & Jean-Michel Basquiat Collaboration!

This is my very amateur interpretation of Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting for the cover of Maya Angelou's book of children's poetry "Life Doesn't Frighten Me." This piece came about as a project for my Art Appreciation class during my senior year at Cardinal Ritter Prep (Saint Louis, MO). I believe Angelou couldn't have chosen a more imaginative artist to produce the artwork for her book. Basquiat is one of the best. The poem itself isn't just a children's poem, it's an everyone's poem. The simple message of not being afraid of life is very powerful. Angelou is one of my favorite poets (of course) and Basquiat is one of my favorite artist!

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me

Shadows on the wall

Noises down the hall

Life doesn’t frighten me at all

Bad dogs barking loud

Big ghosts in a cloud

Life doesn’t frighten me at all

Mean old Mother Goose

Lions on the loose

They don’t frighten me at all

Dragons breathing flame

On my counterpane

That doesn’t frighten me at all.

I go boo

Make them shoo

I make fun

Way they run

I won’t cry

So they fly

I just smile

They go wild

Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

Tough guys fight

All alone at night

Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

Panthers in the park

Strangers in the dark

No, they don’t frighten me at all.

That new classroom where

Boys all pull my hair

(Kissy little girls

With their hair in curls)

They don’t frighten me at all.

Don’t show me frogs and snakes

And listen for my scream,

If I’m afraid at all

It’s only in my dreams.

I’ve got a magic charm

That I keep up my sleeve

I can walk the ocean floor

And never have to breathe.

Life doesn’t frighten me at all

Not at all

Not at all.

Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

- Maya Angelou