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.
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 for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Maya Angelou, “Phenomenal Woman” from And Still I Rise. Copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou. Used by permission of Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.
I decided to post this poem because it so clearly defines a stage in life that I am experiencing. In the new season of being a wife and new mom, I have found myself wondering who I am. I guess you can call it an " Identity Crisis" of some sort. When you are readily available to take care of everyone else, it is easy to lose yourself in the balance. I have loved this particular poem since childhood. However, it is in my adulthood that the words resonate in my spirit. In these words, I am reminded of who I am. I am a Wombyn, beautifully created to bring forth life. Love my husband. Use the world as my runway. And recognize that there is beauty in the breakdown of every chaotic moment I encounter. I have been scolding myself for the small gut I have after bearing my child. Then I read this and once again, I recognize the strength of this body. A body that housed a healthy baby that will continue on the legacy of my womb! How amazing is that!? So I say thank you to the late and eternally great Maya Angelou, for seeing in women what we sometimes forget to see in ourselves!
