Hair vs. That One Colored Girl

Today I’m not only winning the battle
I’m winning the war
The revolution is here
And its coming in the form of shears
In other words clippers, scissors, and blades
Attacking each curl
Each strand
Each wave
The revolution is here
There will be no more wrestling matches
Between stubborn mulatto naps
and different brushes made for different ethnicities
tangled hair breaking bristles because
none of these brushes are made for me.
There will be no more hair grease and hot combs
Flat irons and burnt necks
Creating a truth to the hicky lie.
There will be no temptation to try relaxers
To leave my hair lean and long
Against my light skinned frame
That black boys long for
Because beauty has been renamed the Lily Complex
Thanks to Madam C.J. Walker.
In other words black beauty has become
the girl in the video labeled a ho
even he, who claimed me, begged me to keep my hair long
just for something for him to flaunt and tug on
when he wanted to get on… but…
I’m sorry I’m not your horse!
Some people may call me mulatto
But I’ll never be your mule that comes along
with your promised 40 acres!
If you ever view me or us and our hair as being
Animalistic you better think of lions
Because no matter how long or short our mains are
we are fierce!
But since I am only viewed as a piece of meat
For a lions feast
An automatic sex symbol walking down the street
Caught in the cross fire of misogynistic slang and slander
Surrounding my body
Seeping into my follicles
Until I became ferociously untamed
And now the revolution is hear in the form of shears
In other words clippers, scissors, and blades
Attacking each curl
Each strand
Each wave
Cutting off chunks of my main
My yellow right fist protruding into heaven
My left fist hanging up the phone
on my then boyfriend’s complaints
because the revolution is here
It’s my revolution
He is in no way part of it.
Everyone is screaming no don’t do it!
Please lord Jesus don’t let her cut her hair!
Snip snip what a trip its gone
Then I hear… “oh… girl its so cute.
It’s so you.. why didn’t you do that
A long time ago?”
I respond “I know”
While rockin my short curls wild
That aren’t kinky enough for an afro
The revolution has come
And I won the war
This might sound cliché
But shit…
I am woman…
Hear me mother fuckin roar!

pyro

©Kelsey Van Ert 2007