Showing posts with label contemporary poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contemporary poetry. Show all posts
Sep 10, 2011
Switching Places - by Paata Shamugia
Hey, God, let’s switch places!
You take mine,
and I'll take yours -- I'll be the God.
It's not so hard as it seems.
You just have to lose some weight,
Change your hair, make it longer,
Wear some keds, smoke three packs a day.
It’s a little boring, but
you’ll have to play smart
(Don’t ruin my image, I've worked so hard for it).
You'll wake up in old campus every morning,
and time after time will get calls
from your temporary father (my former father).
It's O.K. if he lectures you
for not working,
you'll get used to it.
Meanwhile I'll pet angels,
learn Godlike manners
and watch Earth from
the ozone hole.
If I want to change some things,
I could change some things.
If I existed.
Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou
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
Maya Angelou
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)

