Rush Limbaugh, meet Maya Angelou.

Rush Limbaugh, misogynistic cretin; meet Maya Angelou, phenomenal woman.
March 8, 2012

There are times when the public conduct of another male is so thoroughly tawdry, and stupefyingly boorish that it leaves me embarrassed for my own species.

Most recently, it was a radio bloviator, inexplicably celebrated in certain circles, who removed his own foot-long from his bloated orifice long enough to crash and, (one can only hope), burn in, “I can’t believe you said that” territory with his extended sexist rant against women in general and Sandra Fluke, in particular. 

Ms. Fluke, you may recall, was the then Georgetown Law Student and current California State Senate candidate who first came to public attention in February 2012 when she testified before a House Committee in support of requiring religious-affiliated institutions to include birth control in insurance plans, thereby drawing the misogynistic ire of  Limbaugh, who branded her a "slut" in one of the more despicable diatribes in a career filled with such ruts. 

Given the design of my own nature, I would be most inclined to deliver a back handed smack to this buffoon's snout; a sentiment I suspect is shared by many other presumably civilized and reputedly evolved fellas.

But, it is also at times such as these that I think it best to cede the higher ground to those of a more gentile, though no less persuasive, persuasion.  So, without further ado, I leave the most graceful exposition of the true nature and inherent dignity of women to one far better equipped to explain it to those among us who just don’t get it.

Ladies, Gentlemen and Mr. Limbaugh, presenting for your reading and listening pleasure, reflection and edification, Ms. Maya Angelou.  

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.