Four Freedoms

I have always been inspired by Maya Angelou's writings. Not only are they smooth but to me, as a woman, and a woman of a minority class it speaks to me. It reminds me everyday of just how phenomenal women are and how we should respect ourselves to the T! PHENOMENAL WOMAN by Maya Angelou reminds me of just how beautiful we really are:)She's always on Oprah and you might know some of her other works like "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" and "Still I Rise."

From our last class discussion with my peers, this poem was read to me and had a beat going in my head....While my classmate was reading it I felt like I was in a dark poetry club and all that was missing was soft beating of drums and Maya Angelou reading it with a rhythmical nod. Nod not only from the beat and the sway of the words but nodding in agreement to the words that she spoke. To me she spoke for me and to my heart.

http://mayaangelou.com/

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

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 of 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.