Below is a poem written 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 for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I don’t think many people have ever read this poem by Maya Angelou (someone who I think is one of the greatest people alive today), but I think it is one of her best. People will always have different opinions on what/who is phenomenal. It is more of a personal opinion. We all see our mothers, grandmothers, nieces and daughters as phenomenal along with a few other women we get the chance to meet in life. I think in this poem Maya Angelou perfectly describes what makes a woman phenomenal. Beauty clearly has something to do with it but it’s more of an inner confidence, as cliché as that may sound. I don’t think it’s cool to say shit like this nowadays, but we all know women are the greatest thing on earth. Women are involved in some way with every decision a man can make in his life while being there at the beginning (mother) and usually even at the end (wife). All women have the potential to be truly phenomenal and usually end up with the man that sees it as clearly as she does.
Women can clearly take a lot from this poem but I think men can too. If you ask a married man who is “the most beautiful women in the world”, in his opinion, based solely off of looks, he probably won’t say his wife. It may be some celebrity or even some girl at the office. I think when you ask a dude in love who the most beautiful woman is, and he truthfully answers that it is in fact his wife, then he interprets this question as “Who is the most phenomenal women in the world?”. This poem explains that phenomenon we as men see in certain women that makes us place that particular woman above the rest.
I hope y’all enjoyed the poem.