I'll never forget when my favorite college professor, Kathleen Fisher, gave a dramatic reading of one of Maya's poems in our Women in Literature class. The poem was “Phenomenal Woman.” It not only started in me a love for poetry, but it also gave me energy and strength when I really needed it. (I was about to graduate at the time.) I thought I would share the poem now, in memory of Maya Angelou and Little Honey:
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,=20
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,
I 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.
Phenomeanal woman,
That's me.
~Maya Angelou
This was the most touching obituary about Maya that I found online. Here's the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/28/maya-angelou-dead_n_5403657.html