A poem in response to 'Phenomenal Woman' by Maya Angelou | Teen Ink

A poem in response to 'Phenomenal Woman' by Maya Angelou

March 12, 2010
By Vivallaa PLATINUM, NYC, New York
Vivallaa PLATINUM, NYC, New York
44 articles 89 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
\'Before you stalk and overrun, you can\'t devour anyone.\'


(in response to poem ‘Phenomenal Woman’)

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.

(My Response)

I don’t know
what to say about myself
people tell me I’m gorgeous
but that’s not how I feel
at night
when the show’s over
my makeup off
my raggedy pajamas over
myself
I feel ugly
I’m ugly
I need this poem
will all of the uglies step forward
heads up high
we don’t need to try
to have beauty inside
I’m a woman
phenomenally
phenomenal woman
that’s me


The author's comments:
I love that poem. I just had to be a wannabe and write a poem about it. For if I were to write my own it would never match up.

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