All my girls know I love Beyonce. Although I have never purchased her work I have been an avid proponent of Beyonce and DC airtime at every party I've attended. Steph and Rina understand this perhaps better than anyone and always gratify my juvenile demands to hear Check Up On It or Survivor.
Well, Friday morning I walk into my office and wonder of wonders there is a burned copy of Dangerously in Love waiting for me on my desk. Jess, a coworker, overheard me talking about Ms. Beyonce and decided to surprise me. As I sit and listen to the sweet melodies playing on my laptop all I can think is, "Beyonce is the Phenomenal Woman Maya Angelou describes in her poem titled such." This is my favorite Angelou poem. The first time I heard it was at a Gwinnett History Museum (Lawrenceville, GA) Coffee House night. As I listened to Maya's words I couldn't help but think, "that's the kind of woman I want to be....phenonmenal woman, that's me." So, in my feable attempt to praise Ms. Knowles for her amazing contribution to the world, I am sheepishly dedicating this poem because no words, I know, can better express my gratitude to her for being phenomenally... her.
PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion 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 steps
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 for my care. 'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That's me.