Phenomenal Woman
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
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,
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| photo courtesy of mayaangelou.com |
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.
Maya Angelou April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014
Listen to Dr. Maya Angelou recite her poem
Much has been said in the last twenty-four hours about this giant of our time, many remembrances shared and quotes offered. At the risk of re-stating what has already been said by many, here are some of my favourite Maya quotes:
"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass."
"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back."
"If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be."
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
"The excitement is not just to survive, but to thrive, and to thrive with some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style."
"One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practise any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest."
"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
"What I really want to do is be a representative of my race — of the human race. I have a chance to show how kind we can be, how intelligent and generous we can be. I have a chance to teach and to love and to laugh. I know that when I"m finished doing what I'm sent here to do, I will be called home and I will go home without any fear."
"What I would really like said about me is that I dared to love. By love, I mean that condition in the human spirit so profound it encourages us to develop courage and build bridges, and then to trust those bridges and cross the bridges in attempts to reach other human beings."
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."
Thank you Maya Angelou for your honesty, your courage, your laughter, your wisdom.
Thank you for singing your song, now truly flung up to heaven.
