Feel Good Friday is a regular series to give you a smile, a chuckle, or a nugget of wisdom to get your weekend off on the right foot!
This week marked the passing of one of the world’s most powerful literary voices: Maya Angelou.
The first time I read her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I learned how your strength of spirit and character can help you overcome even the darkest trauma and deepest injustice. The first time I read her poem “Phenomenal Woman,” I felt like I could conquer the world.
Read this poem today in her honor and memory, and let her words remind you of just how phenomenal you truly are.
Phenomenal Woman Tweet This Poem!
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.
Have you read anything by Maya Angelou before?
image via african_fi on freeimages.com
9 responses to “Feel Good Friday: Phenomenal Woman”
Wow – that took me right back to high school English class when I read that poem for the first time. I still really love it, but I remember it making such a deep impression on me when I was a young, timid teenager.
Yes, that was very much my first experience with this poem as well!
I don’t think she was a woman but very much a real life Goddess. She would obviously disagree but the impact she made just being her was awesome in the truest sense of the word. I can’t remember if I have ever read that poem but I am going to put it in my journal. Those are words to remember and live by.
So very true, Tara!
I could hear her voice as I read that poem – so powerful. I haven’t read anything else by Angelou, but my daughter read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in school last year. She told me she cried a little when she heard of Angelou’s passing.
You should definitely add I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to your reading list. It will leave an impact!
Beautiful poem. Yes, I’ve read her work before but I actually don’t remember reading this poem. Thanks for sharing! She left a wonderful legacy behind. She will be missed.
Like Dana, I could hear her voice in my head. This is one of my favorite poems of all time.
Yup same here; I totally could hear her reciting this poem. So motivating! This is the kind of confidence girls and women should carry.