Women's voices have shaped poetry with raw strength, resilience, and defiance. Throughout history, female poets have used their words as weapons against oppression, as shields against doubt, and as bridges toward empowerment. Here are 10 powerful poems that celebrate womanhood in all its strength and complexity.
#1 "Phenomenal Woman" (Excerpt) – 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.
#2 "won't you celebrate with me" (Excerpt) – Lucille Clifton
won't you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman,
what did i see except myself?
i made it up.
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay…
#3 "Still I Rise" (Excerpt) – Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
#4 "A Woman Speaks" (Excerpt) – Audre Lorde
Moon marked and touched by sun
my magic is unwritten
but when the sea turns back
it will leave my shape behind.
I seek no favor
untouched by blood
unrelenting as the curse of love
permanent as my errors.
#5 "what's the greatest fear" – Rupi Kaur
what's the greatest fear of a woman?
to be seen as difficult
to be called angry
to be called a bitch
when all she is
is strong and free
and knows exactly
what she wants.
#6 "Women" – Alice Walker
They were women then
My mama's generation
Husky of voice—stout of
Step
With fists as well as
Hands
How they battered down
Doors.
#7 "Her Kind" (Excerpt) – Anne Sexton
I have gone out, a possessed witch,
haunting the black air, braver at night;
dreaming evil, I have done my hitch
over the plain houses, light by light:
lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind.
A woman like that is not a woman, quite.
I have been her kind.
#8 "I Am Not That Woman" (Excerpt) – Kishwar Naheed
I am not that woman
who sells her body
in the marketplace
I am the one
who toils with her hands
who roars like thunder
when she speaks.
#9 "Ego Tripping" (Excerpt) – Nikki Giovanni
I was born in the congo
I walked to the fertile crescent and built
the sphinx
I designed a pyramid so tough that a star
that only glows every one hundred years falls
into the center giving divine perfect light.
#10 "The Invitation" (Excerpt) – Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for.
It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
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Why These Poems Matter
Each of these poems is complete in its brevity, packing a punch in just a few lines. From Maya Angelou's unshakable pride to Rupi Kaur's sharp defiance, they prove that women's power needs no extra words.
Which one speaks to you the most? Share your thoughts—and let's keep celebrating women's voices!
Want to explore more empowering poetry? Check out our AI Poem Generator to create your own verses of strength and inspiration.