"Phenomenal Woman Eve," by Rev. Dr. Kelle Brown,
preached at Plymouth UCC Sunday, March 13, 2022
Presumptuous men, made lovely through their own eyes,
Created eternal traps while breaking communal ties.
When we start to tell them,
They think we’re telling lies.
Let’s say,
It’s in the reach of her life,
The span of my years,
The courage of her voice,
The hope of her tears.
She’s a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s Eve.
She walked into the world
Just as cool as you please,
And her man,
The fellow cowered and
Fell down silently.
Yes, some swarm around her,
Critiquing all her deeds.
We say,
It’s the fire in the truth,
And the flash of her mind,
The swing of loving kindness,
Her story thrives through time.
She’s a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s Eve.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in Eve.
Relegated her to bedrooms and kitchens
When boardroom and courtrooms
Are too our destiny,
I say,
It’s in the arch of justice,
The light of our minds,
The rise of our innovation,
Time after time.
Eve is woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s Eve.
Now you understand
Why our heads are not bowed.
We’re done shouting. Done waiting
In false fog and cloud.
When you see us thriving,
It ought to make you proud.
We say,
It’s in the sound of the ballot box,
New power declared,
In the palm of full equity,
Inclusion and care.
’Cause we are woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s Sally McFague.
That’s Alice Walker.
Lucretia Mott and Susan B. Anthony.
That’s Liz Theoharis.
That’s Katie Cannon and Renita Weems.
That’s Chanequa Walker Barnes and Candice Benbow.
That’s Wil Gafney.
That’s Emilie Townes.
That’s Angela Davis.
That’s Rosemary Radford Ruether.
That’s Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
That’s Maxine Mimms.
That’s Maya Angelou.
That's Kelle Brown.
That’s Eve.
Phenomenal woman.
That's you and me.