Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

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

Maya Angelou

Commentary:
From reading some of Maya Angelou's poems, she is very feminist. She wrote "Woman Work" and "Still I Rise" and many others that show a feminist point of view. Taking this in consideration, I knew that this poem was going to elevate the women and obviously talk good about them.
It was a pleasure reading this poem. It gave an important message about the pride of women and how they overcome discrimination and still feel phenomenal.
Maya Angelou used repetition in her poem to stress all the important lines to her. She says, " Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me," at the end of almost every stanza. This expressed how this phrase is very important in the poem. This phrase turned out to become a famous quote by Maya Angelou. By using repetition, the reader stayed with these lines after having read the poem.



Listen: Dr. Maya Angelou recites her poem,
"Phenomenal Woman"