When I contemplated what I would name my blog, I threw around a few ideas. Ultimately, I wanted to encompass everything that I am in a short phrase that could be followed by .com. — no small feat for an uncreative, left-brained person. There was “a woman named Lisa” and “a feminist named Lisa”. Both of which I decided to be boring and not fully encompassing. Then there was a succession of variations that included the phrases “sassy,” “woman,” and “ball of fire.” After googling recommendations on naming blogs, I decided that I wanted my name to be as witty, or at least as literary, as I wish to be. So why not reference the poem which I am continually debating tattooing on my body? For those unfamiliar with where the phrase “a women phenomenally” is written, the poem by Maya Angelou follows.

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.