PHENOMENAL WOMAN

 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 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 flesh 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 misery.
 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 is 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.

 ---- Maya Angelou, Maya Angelou: Poems, 1986

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