text: oh pray my wings are gonna fit me well oh pray my wings are gonna fit me well is a book of poems by american author maya angelou , published by random house in 1975 . it is angelou 's second volume of poetry , written after her first two autobiographies and first volume of poetry were published . angelou considers herself a poet and a playwright , but is best known for her seven autobiographies , especially her first , i know why the caged bird sings , although her poetry has also been successful . she began , early in her writing career , alternating the publication of an autobiography and a volume of poetry . although her poetry collections have been best - sellers , they have not received serious critical attention . oh pray is divided into five parts and consists of 36 poems . the volume is dedicated to " paul " . like many of angelou 's poems , the poetry in the volume has been characterized as light verse . they contain identifications with ordinary objects and universal identifications . oh pray has received mixed reviews from critics ; one critic states that the poems in it are best if read aloud . they focus on themes of love , insight , and tension , and on overcoming difficulties . angelou writes about ordinary objects and experiences , and with deep feelings , about a variety of racial themes and concerns . background oh pray my wings are gonna fit me well is maya angelou 's second volume of poetry . she studied and began writing poetry at a young age . after her rape at the age of eight , as recounted in her first autobiography i know why the caged bird sings ( 1969 ) , she dealt with her trauma by memorizing and reciting great works of literature , including poetry , which helped bring her out of her self - imposed muteness . angelou 's film georgia , georgia , produced by a swedish film company and filmed in sweden , was the first screenplay written by a black woman , and was released in 1972 . angelou married welsh carpenter and ex - husband of germaine greer , paul du feu , in san francisco in 1973 . although angelou considered herself a playwright and poet when her editor robert loomis challenged her to write caged bird , she has been best known for her autobiographies . many of angelou 's readers identify her as a poet first and an autobiographer second , but like lynn z. bloom , many critics consider her autobiographies more important than her poetry . critic william sylvester agrees , and states that although her books have been best - sellers , her poetry has " received little serious critical attention " . bloom also believes that angelou 's poetry is more interesting when she recites it . bloom calls angelou 's performances " characteristically dynamic " , and says that she " moves exuberantly , vigorously to reinforce the rhythms of the lines , the tone of the words . her singing and dancing and electrifying stage presence transcend the predictable words and phrases " . angelou began , early in her writing career , alternating the publication of an autobiography and a volume of poetry . her first volume of poetry , just give me a cool drink of water ' fore i diiie ( 1971 ) , which was nominated for a pulitzer prize , followed her first autobiography , and oh pray followed the publication of her second autobiography , gather together in my name ( 1974 ) . her publisher , random house , placed the poems in oh pray in her first collection of poetry , the complete collected poems of maya angelou ( 1994 ) , perhaps to capitalize on her popularity following her reading of her poem " on the pulse of morning " at president bill clinton 's inauguration in 1993 . also in the 1994 collection was just give me a cool drink of water ' fore i diiie and two more published after oh pray , and still i rise ( 1978 ) and shaker , why don 't you sing ? ( 1983 ) . angelou 's publisher placed four more poems in a smaller volume , entitled phenomenal woman , in 1995 . themes many of angelou 's poems can be characterized as light verse . for example , hagen characterizes " on reaching forty " as a light rumination about growing older . angelou expresses sadness about having already reaching milestones in her youth , and ends the poem unexpectedly by humorously and ironically expressing admiration for those who die early . in this volume and in others , angelou pairs poems together ( " america " and " africa " ; " communication i " and communication ii " ) to strengthen her themes . the poems in this volume , like her poems in other volumes and contexts , contain universal identifications with ordinary objects . for example , " the telephone " describes her relationship with an object , and how it has intruded upon the silence and solitude of her life . in this poem , which is three structured stanzas long , angelou demands that the telephone ring , despite her resentment of its intrusion and her dependency upon it . she uses familiar and feminine metaphors , and themes also found in blues songs , such as the colors black and blue and weekend loneliness . in the poem " poor girl " , angelou uses the vernacular to express universal themes , in the voice of a teenage girl who has lost her boyfriend . scholar yasmin y. degout cites " the couple " as an example of angelou 's practice of subtly including more than one level of meaning in her poems , of her ability to translate her personal experience into political discourse , and her placement of themes of racism and liberation . angelou combines liberation ideology and poetic technique to challenge society 's concepts of gender identity , especially in how it affects women . she varies the length of the poem 's lines , beginning in the first stanza and continuing throughout the poem , to convey ambiguity and doubt , and to demand that the reader question their perceptions of gender and power . " the couple " , starting in its second stanza , attacks class - based ideals of masculinity in society . the poem ends by demanding that the social constructs surrounding gender and class end , and insists that human survival depends upon recognizing shared emotions and experience , regardless of one 's gender or position in society . poems oh pray my wings are gonna fit me well is divided into five parts , and consists of 36 poems . the volume is dedicated to " paul " . critical response kathryn gibbs harris , in her review in library journal , states that the poems in oh pray , like " child dead in old seas " , are good heritage ballads with excellent lyrics . she calls " this winter day " colorful and pleasant , and states that it reminds her of a genre painting . she , like many critics about much of angelou 's poetry , says , " the poems work best read aloud " . the critic in booklist considers the way in which the poems are organized distracting , but says that it " does not diminish the street - wise soundings infused with a particular pain and pride " . according to the review , the rhyme in " here 's to adhering " is simple , but its structure is deceptively complex . the critic also says , " the sardonic quality of ' on reaching forty ' reduces age to a minor milestone ; nationhood is elevated to a higher yet deeper plane in ' africa ' and in ' america . ' ' the pusher ' is a typical angelou acceleration , but it is ' chicken - ' that causes a dead halt " . poetry critic sandra gilbert says that angelou 's poems , " when they 're not awkward or stilted , are corny " . according to a reviewer in choice , the poems in oh pray focus on themes of love , insight , and tension . they also focus on " the black condition celebrated triumphant over difficulties " . the reviewer finds some poems uneven , sometimes banal , also best if read aloud , and meant to " be reread and laughed over and thought about " . reviewer james finn cotter states that this volume suffers from " the dangers of success " that happen when poets gain too much fame too soon . gilbert blames angelou 's publishers for capitalizing on her success as an autobiographer , stating that oh pray " ... is such a painfully untalented collection of poems that i can 't think of any reason other than the maya myth for it to be in print " . writer lyman b. hagen responds to gilbert 's criticism by stating that angelou had been a poet long before she began writing prose and that angelou 's audience is comfortable with her sparse lines . he insists that angelou 's critics have missed the power of her poems ' message in her apparently simple lines . hagen calls angelou 's poetry light verse . he states that she writes about ordinary objects and experiences , and with deep feelings , about a variety of racial themes and concerns .