Inspirational Women

Today I received an email from my sister-in-law titled "MAYA ANGELOU'S' BEST POEM EVER". As I read the poem it struck me odd; for whatever reason it just didn't have that familiar feeling to it. While investigating the poem's validity on Snopes.com I found a link which directs the reader to Maya Angelou's site disclaiming this work as one of her own.

I had to look in another direction to discovered that it was not a poem but a list of "30 things every woman should have and should know by the time she’s 30", and was written by novelist Pamela Redmond Satran. She is an accomplished author and the message in her list of womanly needs is indeed inspirational. You can read Pamela's entire list here in her Glamour magazine article written February 1, 2007.

To satisfy my curiosity I did some additional searches for both the works of Pamela Redmond Satran and Dr. Maya Angelou. There is no doubt that both of these women have a talent for putting into words what we feel as women. If you ever get the opportunity to hear Dr. Maya Angelou perform, you may agree that she truly is an amazing woman!

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

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.

Read more information about Dr. Maya Angelou