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 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.







"Click on the Phenomenal Women below to read their bios or cover story."


Shirley Franklin
Atlanta Mayor
Cathy Cox
Georgia Secretary of State
Evern Cooper Epps
President, UPS Foundation
Ingrid Saunders Jones
SVP, Corporate External Affairs

The Coca-Cola Company
Sara Gonzalez
President, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Lynn Crump-Caine
Retired Exec. VP - McDonalds
Xernona Clayton Brady
Creator and Exec Producer,
Trumpet Awards
Jo Roberson Edwards
President, Jo Edwards and Associates
Gwendolyn Sykes Brown
CFO, NASA
Leah Sears
Georgia Supreme Court Justice
Vicki Escarra
Retired Executive VP & CMO
Delta Air Lines
Vicki Palmer
Exec. VP, Coca-Cola Enterprises
Rhonda Mims Simpson
Legal Counsel, ING
President, ING Foundation
Lisa Borders
President
Atlanta City Council
Equilla Wainwright
Director Global Diversity
Johnson Controls, Inc.
Anna Cablik
President, ANATEK
Myrna White
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Susan Taylor
Essence Magazine
Valencia Adams
VP & Chief Diversity Officer,

BellSouth
Judge Glenda Hatchett
Livia Whisenhunt
President & CEO,
PS Energy Group, Inc.
Justine Boyd
CEO, YWCA
Harriette Watkins
VP Community Affairs,
AGL Resources
Carolyn Byrd
President & CEO
GlobalTech
Financial


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