American-Poet: Maya Angelou - Born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928

“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.”