Around the planet, people watched the Michael Jackson memorial unfold live on movie screens, televisions, computers and mobile phones.
Maya Angelou, in a poem read by Queen Latifah at the ceremony in Los Angeles, captured the day: "Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana's Black Star Square. In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Ala., and Birmingham, England. We are missing Michael."
By popular demand, here is the video and full text Maya Angelou's beautiful poem, "We Had Him," written for Michael Jackson and read by Queen Latifah at his memorial service on Tuesday.
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 and walk our dances across the face of the moon
In the instant we learn that Michael 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 our 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 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 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 Blackstar Square,
in Johannesburg, in Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama and Birmingham England,
we are missing Michael Jackson
But we do know that we had him
And we are the world.
