Missing an Angel: Maya Angelou

Missing an Angel – Maya Angelou

Every once in a while someone really special comes along.  Someone who inspires quietly, who does good, who spreads compassion and hope and lots of love.  Now, the world is missing an angel.

Maya Angelou passed away this week at the age of 86 in North Carolina, US.

Maya Angelou was an American civil rights activist, poet, author and amazing woman who spoke 6 languages and won 3 Grammy awards. She was an eloquent commentator on race and gender best known for her groundbreaking autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”

Maya Angelou, a beautiful soul whom the world will miss dearly.

Her inspirational poem, Phenomenal Woman says it all.

 

Phenomenal Woman

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

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

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

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

 

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.

I don’t should 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

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

– Maya Angelou