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 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. 

 

-Maya Angelou

He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven by William Butler Yeats

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. 

- William Butler Yeats

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

 


© Max Ehrmann 1927

Our Greatest Fear By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

 It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking

so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson

Invictus By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

-William Ernest Henley

Hello!

My dear readers (seen and unseen),

Hoping that you have been well, I know I have neglected you for a little while and requests for more posts are overwhelming...my apologies for the silence, I promise I am cooking something great for you, and shall unveil soon enough. Meanwhile, I am posting a few of some of my favorite poems and poets pieces for you to snack on before the big revolution...

Thank you for your audience,

Enjoy...:-)

All I want

I was thinking the other day of a list. The world is so huge! And I have been to only a small portion of it! There are wonders that I have seen on photos and videos…that have mesmerized everybody within their sight. But a secondary mesmerization cannot quench my curiosity. I have to be there! Walk the great wall of China, Stand before the taj mahal, lie on my back and admire the northern lights, explore the underwater sights, touch the walls of the pyramids, whisper a prayer into the walls of Jerusalem…Connect with history on a personal level. I want to be there!

There is a lot of intelligence that is yet to be discovered, yet what I know of the already discovered is but a drop! There are millions of books that will tickle my fancy, help me discover a passion I never knew, make me think like Einstein did, and perhaps develop a new admiration for My God! I have a deep hole that craves knowledge…a thirst to know more, read more, and add my contribution to the world of intellects, albeit in a small way. I want to be unlimited!

There is a depth by which I want to know God. Like David, I want to seek him till he calls me, “A woman after my own heart.” I hear about his compassion, providence, expansive, immeasurable nature…but I want to experience it firsthand. To be so intimate that I can feel Him stirring in my soul. To be so connected that it goes beyond asking…to just loving Him for who he is. I want to grow beyond my limits!

There is a side of human beings that has always fascinated me, though most shield themselves from being discovered. It’s beyond the self-centered, uncaring, inhuman side they like to show. I have realized that everyone has a story. Of how they rose from the gallows, almost everybody has a message for my life, somehow. I want to expand my arms and reach out to older, younger, crazier, calmer, unapproachable, those I have thought to be outside my ‘circle’…who knows? They may hold the key to some of my doors! I want to reach out!

There is a side to me I am so sure I am unaware of! I mean, I have passions: love for music, art, writing, laughs and the likes. But most of my passions get stuck in my head, in my imaginations and desires. Like I adore the “tango”! Yet I never make a move to learn..In my mind, I see myself a tango phenomenon, from behind my desk. I want to burst my mental boundaries, try something new every day, take risks, go where my heart leads, do what I think I shouldn’t, let loose, Just DO IT! In this life, Now, Here! I want to fly! 

Then there are limitations to these dreams of mine. I am gonna write them ALL down. The reasons, the what-ifs, the hmmmm, maybe-nots….all of them. Then am gonna read through that list again, and tear it up, burn it, and GO FOR IT! The good Lord has blessed me with this one life! Every passing day, my time is a day less. Every passing day, He has provided enough for my journey: Health, friends, means, and miracles. I want to just DO IT!!

Popeye

I want to love you darling

I want to be the weed that makes you high with crazy imaginations

I want to be the song that wakes you up in the morning with a smile

I want to love you with the force of gravity,

Making all things come down to your hands

I want to be a sight that leaves you fixated and speechless

I want to be the memory you tell generations

I want to be wrapped around you like that tie you love to wear to your serious meetings

I want to be as romantic as the full moon on a clear warm coastal night

I want to love you darling,

Like a wonder that’s unfathomable

Like a simple quiet Sunday morning.

I want it to be beautiful like how you imagine Italy, or Spain…

I want to inspire you beyond Steve Jobs..

I want to be the preacher’s example of what a Godly woman should be..

I want to love you darling

For a period-immeasurable

For a reason-unexplainable

For an extent-Inexplicable!

I want to love you darling,

And you make it easy with that smile,

Coz you know, I wanna love you,

Just the way you do!

Familiar Stranger

She is…

Patiently waiting for him to understand just what it means to love him

When he stays out late

Preferring to while the evenings away with strangers

And return to her staggering and spent

Leaving her lonely with nobody to tell of her weary endeavors

Or the growing cancer in her breast.

She is…

Patiently waiting for him to understand just what it means to love him

When he demeans her

Hits her…

Shames her in front of her children

And she stays because of the man she knows he is,

And maybe staying will redeem him in a way

Bring him back to his course.

She is….

Patiently waiting for him to understand just what it means to love him

When he walks down the aisle in the arms of another

Making vows and promises

While she breaks down inside after years of waiting for his promise to her

Caring, nourishing and polishing him..

For another.

She is

Patiently waiting for him to understand just what it means to love him

When she sacrifices her dreams

To start learning and contributing to his

For the sake of her children.

She is

Patiently waiting for him to understand just what it means to love him

When he is six feet under,

Gone too soon in his prime by his irresponsible choices

Yet she tells her children of his heroism and greatness

Of his love for them…though absent.

Of stories filled with nothing but praises.

She is..

Patiently waiting for him to come home to her

And see himself a man in her beautiful eyes

Get comfort in her loving arms

Understand that she is never going to leave him in the stormy days

Stand by him

Pray for him.

She is patiently waiting..

Even when there is no hope for the day.

Audience of one

Floral patterns splattered across my wall

Warmth seeping through the shades

A Sun ray sneaking into my blankets

A beautiful day dances seductively by the trees, the clouds, the glades

A promise carried on the song of the living

Everything rises to life before my very eyes

And I am sucked in..

Integrated…churned, shaken, mixed up and loosened up!

Sieved out of confusion,

Spiced up with vibrations of positivity

Splashed with inspiration

It’s like an orchestra for the audience of One: ME!

My feet touch the floor and round and round I spin…

Losing myself to the notes and anecdotes

Losing myself in the moment of my spotlight!

Lights,

Action!