poetry and poesy

poetry and poesy

on loop: i'm still in love with you ~ new edition

hrrmmm... not everyone has it in them to appreciate poetry. i'm glad that somehow, in some way, i do. i may not be the most intelliegent audience but i can be a heartfelt one. anyway, one of my most favorite poets is maya angelou. if my terms serve me correctly, she's a post-modern poet... not really those classical types. well, as a little salute to her work and to the message they convey, i've decided to post a couple of my more favorite works of hers.

"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
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 of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.


i really liked this piece because of the conviction in her words. also, the thoughts the reader is made to think are very provocative (not in a malicious sense of course Ü). i heard from someone that she was quite a feminist... it comes through a bit in this work. in poetry, i tend to appreciate the prose more than the form. i look into the words more than in it's construction, though that in itself is a huge factor in the effectivity of the piece. eheh.

this next poem is one of my personal favorites. i recited this during lit class back in 1st year college and i actually felt for it at that time. the words she used are very powerful and i find her to be a genius in her field. not that many people recognize her as a 'poet' since some people have this image in their head that poets are usually men from the neo-classical era... hrrmm. not so. anyway, hope you guys enjoy hehe.


"Still I Rise"

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

*****

"dancing with your feet is one thing... dancing with your heart is another."