







a contemplative hopeful pieceset to the melody of We Shall Overcomededicated to every single strandof willful curly kinkand every area of the Kitchenthat refuses to be tamed.A piece for every brown baby girlEvery precious delicate soulwho will be shamedand made horrified by the wild masof beauty someone will callBad Hairbefore she will form an opinionand an a opinion of her own.As I sit twirling the twistsAnd turns of my NappinessI long to reach out and protectthat unsuspecting little girlwhose eyes will gaze into a mirror one dayand see a need to make a liar out ofPerfection.Who will be robbed and forced to believewhat is naturalan abominationwhat is God-givena betrayalWhat is AfricanUgly.Who will be made a Slave to a hot comb and a chemicalgrowing up to damage someone else.The blind leading the blind.And so it goes.This is an act of penancea plea for forgivenessa Nappy hair Piecefor the daughterssisters, friends I lied to tauntedand shamedIgnorant of my own beautyvictim of self-hatred once dragged kicking and screamingto a chair beside a stoveholding my ear and a promise.Today I gaze into the mirrorUnafraidOf my beautyUnafraidOf my New Growth.Photo Credit: Shutterstock