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.

By Maya Angelou