Tuesday, January 13, 2009

There is something about Maya



Photo above: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/photocredit/achievers/ang0-007
Photo below: http://www.mercurynews.com ((AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File))

There is magic in dem words.

There is liquid truth that seeps slowly into my being and bewitches me.

I am reading Maya Angelou's collected biographies once again. The first time I read them, I was a young college student still trying to master the English language. Maya's powerful prose was more inviting than intimidating, reassuring me that being a woman is a universal experience. She is a powerful teacher and her lessons come within her personal stories, 

her wisdom flows like comfort food for a hungry heart – mine.

Once again I find myself drawn to her voice, 

unable to put the book down - a whopping 1000+ pages of pure Maya gold.

Thank you, Phenomenal Woman!



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