Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou

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. 

Artwork by @tycheriee

I walk into a room 

Just as cool as you please, 

And to 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 for my care. 
’Cause I’m a woman 
Phenomenally. 
Phenomenal woman, 
That’s me.
~Maya Angelou, “Phenomenal Woman” from And Still I Rise. 

Creativity Credit belongs to Brown Girl Collective https://www.facebook.com/BrownGirlCollective/photos/a.193731154592.121720.110155684592/10154880725849593/?type=3&theater&notif_t=notify_me_page&notif_id=1485105045496086