Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than for November 13, 2023

Transcript:

PHENOMENAL WOMAN A Poem by Maya Angelou General Store NO COLORED OPEN 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. CANDY I say…it’s in the reach of my arms NO COLORED The span of my hips CANDY The stride of my steps The curl of my lips I’m a woman phenomenally. Boy: Phenomenal woman. Maya: 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. Man: Phenomenal woman. Maya: That’s me. Men themselves have wondered what they see in me. They try so much but they can’t touch… NAACP BENEFIT …my inner mystery. When I try to show them… …they say they still can’t see. CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP 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 CLAP CLAP CLAP I’m a woman phenomenally Bill Clinton: 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. JUDGE 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. Maya: Phenomenal Woman That’s me - Maya Angelou 1928 - 2014