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Phenomenal Woman

Maya Angelou, Maya Angelou poetry, Secular or Eclectic, Secular or Eclectic poetry,  poetry, [TRADITION SUB2] poetry,  poetry by Maya Angelou
(1928 - ) Timeline

Original Language
English

Secular or Eclectic
Contemporary

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's 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 step,
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 in 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 of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

 

 

-- from Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women, by Maya Angelou

Amazon.com

 


/ Photo by CG2_SoulArtist /

Themes

  Bliss
  Fire
  Honey
  Smile
  Sun


Recommended Books


And Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou
A Brave and Startling Truth, by Maya Angelou
The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou, by Maya Angelou
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou, by Maya Angelou
Gather Together in My Name, by Maya Angelou

More >>

 

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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

Something today by Maya Angelou in honor of phenomenal woman.

Woman, not some idealized form found in glossy magazine. Woman, not defined by a man as lover, wife, mother. Woman, not the virgin stripped of sex, and not the whore plastered with it. But woman, full and strong and bold. Praise to that mighty presence! Phenomenal woman.

 

 


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Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
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