Poem for Sunday, Black Hill Park, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

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 for my care.  
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

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On Saturday we went to meet Paul's parents at Simply Asia in Thurmont; Adam came with us because they hadn't seen him since he went to Israel and they wanted to see his photos, particularly Paul's father, who went to Israel nearly 40 years ago. We were at the restaurant for nearly two hours sharing kung pao and black pepper tofu and looking at pictures.

By then my in-laws were tired, so they went home and we went to Black Hill Regional Park, which was on the way to our house. The lake was partly frozen, so the geese, ducks, and coots were standing on the ice shelf, but it wasn't very cold and there were lots of Pikachu spawns for the Pokemon Go Community Day event -- I even caught a shiny one, though it was on my baby account.















Adam returned to College Park, although he won't need to go to work at NASA on Monday unless the government shutdown ends over the weekend; classes at UMCP start Wednesday, so a lot of his friends came back this weekend. We watched Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, which was terrific although some of the dialogue was stilted; the actors were all good and it was nicely filmed.