Pretty women wonder where my secret lies

I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion 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 steps

    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.

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou