TransGriot Note:In addition to my op-ed writing and novels that I'm working on, I like to write short stories and poetry. Here's a rewrite of a Maya Angelou poem called 'Phenomenal Woman'. I've always liked it and came up with transgender themed verses for it.
An MKR Poem
I am what I am,
I am what you see,
But I traveled another road to femininity
Forged by trials in a male body
My female spirit yearning to break free
Some sistahs say that this can’t be
Because I can’t create life inside of me
There’s more to being a woman you see
Than just having a baby
I’ve become a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal Transwoman
That’s me
Keep on playa hating me while you can
Or my existence you plot to ban
I still left the club with your man
And he didn’t care if my birth name was Dan
He saw the curve of my hips,
And the smile on my lips
And my personality makes his heart turn flips
I’m what he wants, ain’t that a trip?
I’ve become a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal Transwoman
That’s me
Sistah, I don’t wanna fight with you
Black womanhood to me is precious, boo
I spent night after sleepless night
Praying to God to make things right
Hoping that He would answer my prayer
To shed this cursed male body layer
Went to sleep believing that the next day
My body would be shaped in a feminine way
I’ve become a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal Transwoman
That’s me
Christine and Justina, they blazed the trail
That led to attainment of our Holy Grail
Hormones, electrolysis and SRS
Allow us to look our very best
Molded the outer body shell to be
Like the inside and now my spirit’s free
This ain’t no ‘Imitation of Life’
It’s freed me from anguish, turmoil and strife.
I’ve become a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal Transwoman
That’s me
This is a precious gift I’ve been allowed to gain
Steeped in millions of years of sweat, tears and pain
We should be higher specimens of womanhood
Using our lives to promote the greater good
Black women are the vanguard of our race
Our spirituality molds our cultural base
It’s the challenge I strive to meet every day
Because I’m deliriously happy to say
I am a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal Transwoman
That’s me.