Phenomenal Woman

The world lost a beautiful soul today. I was at work when the CNN update came across my phone and it felt as if my heart stopped. Maya Angelou has been a major influence in my life from the time I was a young girl and I first read, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography about her early years. If you've never read about her life, I would highly recommend that you do. Even if you just start with her wikipedia page. To go through a childhood like that and not let it break you...it's truly inspiring. It was through her that I found out that poetry was more than just Shakespeare and Dickinson and that it could truly be something that I could relate to. To me she always felt like an other worldly grandmother figure that would kind of always be there if that makes any sense. So to be reminded that she was just a human, flesh and blood, makes her passing even harder to grasp. But with that, I'm reminded of the wonderful legacy she's left and how many people around the world she's inspired with her works and her incredible strength. This is one of my favorite poems by Maya Angelou and one that describes both her and the type of woman I strive to be.

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 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 stands 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 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 of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Rest in peace you Phenomenal Woman, you.

MKD