Splendor In Me

Below is my modern take on my most favorite poem "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou from "And I Still Rise". Something that today's rebellious yet sensitive and unique woman may agree.

I will walk with my head high

Glare at you as you take a sigh

I am not what appeals your eyes

But I am what your ego denies

I'd tell you to come join the squad

But following me is not your fad

Honey,

It's the edge of my look

The breeze in my hair

The angle of my chin

The posture of my back

If it kills you honey don't be bamboozled

For it is a splendor and you can only wonder

You can't even wish to be me

I hit the club in the nth hour

As you sneak and smirk in the side

These men want to buy me a drink

While they speak and eyes devour

Yes love,

It's the mystery in my smile

A shimmery beam in my sight

The blaze from my eclectic style

The chill in my words that alight

If it kills you honey don't be bamboozled

For it is a splendor and you can only wonder

You can't even wish to be me

They complain they can't understand me

I tried to be coy and let them see

But none of them got to me

You see love,

It's the height in my stand

The meaning behind my lines

The independence in my actions

The strong hold in my emotions

If it kills you honey don't be bamboozled

For it is a splendor and you can only wonder

You can't even wish to be me

Now honey you know

I don't need a cover

I don't need to show you what I'm made of

Next time baby lose the snarl

Because darling,

It's in the waves of my curls

The stern steer of my tone

The class of my elegance

The seize in my very presence

If it kills you honey don't be bamboozled

For it is a splendor and you can only wonder

You can't even wish to be me

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.