review of the poem”Phenomenal Woman”, by M.Badihian

A poem by Maya Angelou
” Phenomenal Woman”
From the collection Poems

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 for my care.
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
On my way to London two years ago in the San Francisco airport I bought this book and after reading several poems I noticed I already read it years ago. I read the entire book again while en route to London. Maya Angelou’s voice is clear, strong, feminine and fluent and the voice of opposition. The poems in this collection are the voice of a strong, challenged woman with a high self esteem that helps to empower women. I like many poems in this book such as Still I Rise which is in defense of a woman who lives in a segregated society. Many of the poems in this volume are in defense of the woman, especially women of color and their daily struggle in life. One example is the poem Woman Work. Maya Angelou also includes love poems in this collection which are written in a simple voice. In the poem Refusal she expresses her unity and comfort with her lover with the use of, “I have known your lips, your hands….”
Poems contains many poems with that are rhythmic due to the repletion of words making the poems pleasurable and memorable to read. One example is the poem Ain’t That Bad?, which contains many repeated lines in it.
In this volume one particular poem was most interesting, Phenomenal Woman.
The core concept of this poem is the value of inner beauty, charisma and personality as tools of beauty compared to physical beauty. The poem starts with women wondering about why this woman in the poem is so phenomenal.
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.
Later on in the poem she talks about men’s wondering about this woman’s charm and they try hard to touch her inner soul in search of her mystery. The mystery that she thinks is invisible when she writes:
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.
Throughout the poem she explains what makes this woman charming, but one stanza in particular is memorable in which she describes why this woman is phenomenal,

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.

Maya Angelou explains one by one how this phenomenal woman looks. She goes over almost the entire body of this woman from hair, lips, body curves; she also explains this phenomenal woman’s behavior and body gesture.
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,

But again Maya Angelou’s emphasis is on pride, bravery and inner beauty of the phenomenal woman rather than her physical beauty.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed
In this poem the voice of the poet is strong and clear. She touches on a subject that is lacking in today’s society which is that beauty is not just physical but is many things within a person.
review by, Mahnaz Badihian