Maya Angelou, who was born April 4th, 1928 and died May 28th, 2014, was an American writer and poet. Her poem "Phenomenal Woman" appeared in a collection of four poems in 1995.
The poem is four stanzas long and uses poetic elements of repetition, rhyme scheme, and metaphor. Angelou repeats the line "I'm a woman, phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that's me" for emphasis and effect. The rhyme scheme is not regular, but at least two lines rhyme in each stanza.
Maya Angelou celebrates her womanhood in this poem. In the first stanza, she explains that she is not the stereotypical physical beauty, and yet, she is an object of desire for men. She tries to explain that her appeal is not in her dress size or her chiseled, perfect features. It's contained in elements like the span of her arms and hips, and in the way she walks. She is confident, even joyful in her womanhood. Her mystique radiates from the inside out.
In stanza two, Angelou talks about how men react to her when she walks into a room. Using the metaphor of bees, she compares the men swarming her to the way they swarm around a hive. She is the queen bee, and they are all working for her. She talks about where this mystique comes from again, saying it's in the fire of her eyes, the flash of her smile, and the joy in her feet. The eyes as the windows to her soul, her smile as an outward expression of joy, and the lightness of her walk are all manifestations of her inward confidence and radiance.
In stanza three, Angelou discusses the fact that men have often wondered what they see in her because it isn't typical beauty. It's not even something they can describe. She says they try to touch her inner mystery, but they can't. This is something she says she's tried to show them, but they still don't understand it. It's deeper than superficiality, a treasure she possesses that can't be taken away. Still, she tries to explain it in physical terms, pointing to the arch of her back and the sun of her smile.
In the fourth stanza, she explains that this inward treasure that she possesses, that manifests in certain unexpected physical attributes, is why she is proud. She doesn't have to fight for attention or be loud. She exudes grace and power and says to the reader this fact ought to make them proud. She states that she is a woman, "phenomenally." The full text of the poem can be found below.
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.
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