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