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.
Analysis
This poem is about women who don't need to change anything and that what they are is enough. This poem consists of 5 stanzas with each one made up of a different amount of verses. The 1st stanza's end rhyme is AABACDEFEGHGH. The 2nd stanza's end rhyme is ABCDBEBFGHIJKLKL, the 3rd stanza's is ABCCBDBEFGHGI, the 4th stanza is ABA and the 5th stanza is ABCBDBEFGHGIJIJ. The 5th stanza also has an internal rhyme in the verse ''I don't shout or jump about'' in which shout & about are true/perfect rhymes. There's also an internal rhyme in the 1st stanza in the verse ''I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size'' in which cute & suit are off/slant rhymes and in the 3rd stanza in the verse ''What they see in me.'' in which see & me are true/perfect rhymes. A couple of other true/perfect rhymes are: hips & lips (1st stanza), knees & bees (2nd stanza), touch & much (3rd stanza) and loud & proud (5th stanza). There are a lot of off/slant rhymes and they are: lies & size (1st stanza), phenomenally & me (1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th stanza) please & knees, bees (2nd stanza), me & mystery & see (3rd stanza), smile & style (3rd stanza), bowed & loud, proud (5th stanza) and hair & care (5th stanza).
Assonance is used for the words man & stand (verses 3 & 4, 2nd stanza) and teeth & feet (verses 10 & 12, 2nd stanza). Sound imagery is used in the verse ''It's in the click of my heels'' (5th stanza). Every stanza follows the same format of that in the beginning something is said about what the speaker does then that's followed by ''I say,'' then a couple of reasons are given with each one being about the speaker, ending with ''I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.'' An example of one of the reasons given is ''It's in the reach of my arms The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips.'' and all the reasons are describing the speaker. Repetition is used with ''I say,'' (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 5th stanza) and ''I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.'' (1st, 2nd, 4th & 5th stanza). I think this poem could be a confessional as it seems like it's written from personal experiences/memories. The title ''Phenomenal Woman'' makes it clear that the poem is about a phenomenal woman. The point of view is 1st person.