Thursday, March 02, 2006

Phenomenal Woman

This must be my all time favourite poem. On days I feel low about myself, I read this. Enjoy!

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say
It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.


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2 Comments:

Blogger R said...

Thanks for sharing, Pilgrimage to Self.

That's who I want to be when I grow up. But sometimes I think I'm still five years old in that department.

9:23 am  
Blogger Just Thinking Out Loud! said...

love that woman, Maya! That poem is a classic. She describes everything about a woman in perfection.

It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist

Amazingly indubitable facts about a black woman! I loved her speech at Coretta Scott King's funeral too. Outstanding!!! The infusion of old negro chants in her speech. Oh Lord!! Hmmph!!! And her performance of elegant wisdom in Medea's Family Reunion? Definitely phenomenal!

3:50 pm  

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