Twirly, whirly, curly Q
Hair upon my head.
People say it’s beautiful.
To me, it’s merely dead.

Twirly, whirly, curly Q
Whenever I take a nap,
I look like lightening came down from heaven
And gave me a little zap!

Twirly, whirly, curly Q
Whether wind, rain, or snow.
Humidity is my enemy
I have a **** afro.

Twirly, whirly, curly Q
People stop and stare.
They ask me if it’s natural
As if they really care.

Twirly, whirly, curly Q
I think it’s rather boring.
You pay buckets to look like me
It’s so freaking annoying.

Twirly, whirly, curly Q
Girls tell me that they’re jealous.
But if they really knew the struggle,
They’d agree it’s rather hellish.

Twirly, whirly, curly Q
Straight hair would be a dream.
I’d brush and brush and brush my hair
And never even scream.

Twirly, whirly, curly Q
Alas, it’s here to stay.
But I guess that’s what makes me different,
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

To look at a child,
And realize you had a part in
Her or his creation

To hold said child,
And realize this child would lack
Existence without you

You created, much like your Father,
A life, a human life
To be cherished, held, and loved
Like your Father did for you.

Beauty in each and every little finger
Curiosity lingering in each eye
The world has yet to know you,
Dear child
What will you show them?

I was in a bar, smiling so,
a beautiful girl looked in my eyes,
and said "let it go",
who she was, I do not know.

Sitting here, in my mind.
I am alone, and confined.
It doesn't matter.
I like it this way.
No one to bother me.
Or to break me.
I am who I am.
And I like it.

"She floats!"

Her father yelped
His eyes fixed on the water
He thought the girl could be helped
But after so many tries, he decided to put an end to the bother

She floats, yes, indeed she did
Her eyes wide and smiling
She knew her father had finally lost his lid
As the bodies of townsfolk kept piling and piling

She flitted her eyes to the dock
Where her father raised his eyebrows
He had tried everything, but now the locks refused to lock
The chains went to ash and he was done with the whats, whys and hows

She kept smiling at her daddy
In that reassuring way
In her mind, she too had had it
She'd had enough of play

"I don't know what to do with you anymore!"*
And she nodded in agreement
As he screamed from the shore
The policemen he had sent
To show her God's path
Had been lit on fire
With a fury that he thought even God not hath
And now, here she was, tied with rope and wire
Floating in the middle of the ocean
Smiling and smiling, knowing her father was a liar

Those names you called me,
That shame I felt.
It's a cycle of fear,
And humiliation.
You put me down,
Then try to bring me up.
You're jealous, overzealous, and sinful, 
You're just a beast in human form.
I try to run but just fall down,
For the path is rocky at best.
You chase me down, 
And pull me back in.
Say you love me,
Think it will fix everything.
Make it all okay,
Just forget all the problems.
My life isn't my own,
I'm on your leash.
My decisions are yours,
My actions monitored.
You say I can't be friends with him,
That's not okay.
I can't go to the movies, 
You're not there.
Lies, deceit, and broken promises,
Chaining you down in a pit of helplessness.
I can't leave you,
I'm scared to.
You threaten, hurt, and cry,
It's not your fault, right?
Right?
I'm not sure anymore.  
You say you'll **** yourself,
If I leave you'll end it all.
You put that weight on me, 
It's dragging me down.
I'm tethered to a pole, you're beating me down. 
Sending me spinning around, 
Just to send me the other way.
This needs to end, 
The pain needs to stop.
I'm leaving,
I'm done. 
Goodbye, 
So long.

Mitchell S. Bartlett