"Phenomenal Woman"- an inspiration

Yesterday was World Poetry Day.  Creative inspiration comes in all shapes and forms for me, as it does for many artists, and many individuals at large.  My post today is a poem in which I have returned time and time again and have always gained much inspiration - creative and otherwise.  It is a poem which speaks to me at a level which is deeper than the words themselves or even than an author could speak them.  It is a poem that many of the women around me have also gained much inspiration and power from.  It is a mighty poem that speaks for many.  As I returned to this poem yesterday, and as I write this entry today, I cannot help but think that it cannot be a coincidence that World Poetry Day falls in March, which also happens to be Women's History Month.  March, a month to celebrate our heritage and history, the great women who have come before us and the great women who are amongst us today, phenomenal women.  

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.

from And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou.