Phenomenal Woman

I haven't read very many poetry books so far, all my exposure to poetry is through my father who loves poetry - both Tamil and English. He can recite a poem with so much ease like its the back of his hand. His words of encouragement and support during my tough times were always lines from his favorite poems and poets - Bharathiyar kavidhaigal, Kannadasan, Robert Frost. Who can forget those famous lines:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep"

which instantly perks anyone up. But apart from that, I haven't really focused much on reading poetry until now. February and March are poetry-reading months in the reading challenge I'm signed up for and all I can say is, I never realized how beautiful poetry is. I started the poetry reading with this wonderful book by Maya Angelou - Phenomenal Woman.

Phenomenal Woman - Four poems celebrating women
Author: Maya Angelou

Phenomenal Woman:

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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.

This is a wonderful poem by Maya Angelou that celebrates womanhood and the inner-beauty of

every woman out there in this world. This poem was first published in 1978, so its quite

contemporary in that sense. This is a very powerful poem that is written in defense of a woman 

(especially African-American woman) who is neglected by the society based on race/color.
Maya Angelou has also derived from her own personal painful past experiences and
despite the abuse, torture and neglect she experienced, it shows how a woman still rises with
self-esteem and inner strength. This poem instantly strikes a chord with any woman who has
faced any sort of discrimination and neglect in the past. It is very inspiring and is a
shout-out that beauty is not just physical, but a lot of other things within a person and
no matter what happens, keeping your head up high is the most important thing.
After reading this, I listened to Maya Angelou recite this poem herself with a calm,
clear and a strong voice. I could feel the frustration and anger in her voice against the
society who try to shake a woman's self-confidence and strength. At the end of each part
of the poem when she says "Phenomenal woman, That's me" I felt elated.
This is my first of Maya Angelou's poems and I am a big fan of her already!
Phenomenal Woman is a collection of four poems and I enjoyed reading each and
every one of them. My favorites are "Phenomenal Woman" and "Still I rise".
A great set of poems with an inspirational message!