O Curls
my 3a-3b locks
im sorry for the **** i put you through
all the bleaching, heating, and treatments
trying to make you something you're not
for the times i tried to make you the standard
thinking my uniqueness wasn't attractive enough
i hurt you but you had been damaged
long before the straightener
when that boy in the desk behind you would pull your hair
you pretended you didn't notice
when those white folks touched it without your permission
pointing & prodding like you were an alien
when people lost pencils and coins and spitballs in your tangles for amusement
only for you to find at your feet in the shower
When you were told to be straightened
to look “safer” and “more professional”
when he screamed “shut the **** up medusa *** *****
naming you as a monster to silence the both of us
the first time i singed you i was met with
“you should do this more often! it looks so much better this way!”
and in an instant the straightener became my drug
a one time thing became the fix i needed for instant confidence
finally i looked like i belonged
like the girls at my school, on TV and in magazines
I let myself believe that to love me, I had to erase you
you are, in fact, what makes me
people notice you before they notice me
But that is because we work together, you and i
to make this “mufasa roar”
I’ll nurse you through the damage the world caused
The damage I caused,
Because my hair will not be quiet for anyone that asks
Im sorry that it took this long
But thank you for teaching me how to be
unapologetic, unique, authentic
Thank you for teaching me
How to be me
Jun 20, 2021
Jun 20, 2021 at 9:21 PM UTC
O Curls
my 3a-3b locks
im sorry for the **** i put you through
all the bleaching, heating, and treatments
trying to make you something you're not
for the times i tried to make you the standard
thinking my uniqueness wasn't attractive enough
i hurt you but you had been damaged
long before the straightener
when that boy in the desk behind you would pull your hair
you pretended you didn't notice
when those white folks touched it without your permission
pointing & prodding like you were an alien
when people lost pencils and coins and spitballs in your tangles for amusement
only for you to find at your feet in the shower
When you were told to be straightened
to look “safer” and “more professional”
when he screamed “shut the **** up medusa *** *****
naming you as a monster to silence the both of us
the first time i singed you i was met with
“you should do this more often! it looks so much better this way!”
and in an instant the straightener became my drug
a one time thing became the fix i needed for instant confidence
finally i looked like i belonged
like the girls at my school, on TV and in magazines
I let myself believe that to love me, I had to erase you
you are, in fact, what makes me
people notice you before they notice me
But that is because we work together, you and i
to make this “mufasa roar”
I’ll nurse you through the damage the world caused
The damage I caused,
Because my hair will not be quiet for anyone that asks
Im sorry that it took this long
But thank you for teaching me how to be
unapologetic, unique, authentic
Thank you for teaching me
How to be me