PHENOMENAL WOMAN by Maya Angelou.

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion models 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. 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 breast, 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 heals, 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…

Copyright 1978, from “And Still I Rise” by permission of Random House.

Reference:
Maya Angelou