Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Heroes and Sheroes con't



My husband can't stand the sound of her voice - but to me it's like pure water rushing over my soul - I wonder if she'd cringe at my poetic attempts. That voice, deep and rich, rising up out of a spirit that knows something - moves me unlike any voice. Last summer I listened, over and over again to her (via internet) speak at Coretta Scott King's funeral. She lifts me - almost tosses me up with her words...her song. I remember looking at her and thinking, "Goodness she is getting older." I prayed that moment as I listened to her sing 'I shall not be moved' that she would not be moved from this life just yet.

She speaks to my woman soul - tossing me up and up and up ...

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 of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

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