“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.”
― Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women
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.”
― Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women
“Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.”
― By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
― By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
“La única gente que me interesa es la que está loca, la gente que está loca por vivir, loca por hablar, loca por salvarse, con ganas de todo al mismo tiempo, la gente que nunca bosteza ni habla de lugares comunes, sino que arde, arde como fabulosos cohetes amarillos explotando igual que arañas entre las estrellas.”
― On the Road
― On the Road
“Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.”
― The Wit and Wisdom of Mae West
― The Wit and Wisdom of Mae West
Valen’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Valen’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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