My curls are kinky
They coil to the twist of their own internal rhythm
So twisted—me and my curls—we had a love-hate thang going
‘Cause others didn’t understand ‘em
They couldn’t really teach me to ‘preciate ‘em
And ‘cause I wasn’t woke enough to defend ‘em
I kinda sorta love-hate ‘em
My curls are wool-like
Pulled over eyes, they can be deceptive
They’ll coil up tight and shrink to scalp at even water’s sighting
They make for a beautiful ‘fro
Exposed to the elements for too long though
They’ll defy any comb’s attempts to un-kink their flo’
My curls have been terribly misunderstood
Their fullness and density been processed to straightness
They been pressed, relaxed, texturized, straight-out-flattened
Clipped, chopped, colored, razored
Braided, weaved, locked, cornrowed
And they been greased, greased and mo’ greased
My curls are acrobatic
They’ll flip and bounce, changing with my every mood
And they’ll totally flip at even the sign of uninvited touch moves
Egocentric—yeah, they are—they regard only me
Me and my curls now, we got mad chemistry
One-hundred-percent-LOVE-only y’all—that’s we
My curls evolved empowered—now they’re unapologetic survivalists
Every natural kink in bouncebackability mode
Defying every relaxer, every straightening comb
They curl unmolested into their resilient-mystique self—whole
Conveying cultural, political and social justice opinions
In stylish kinky hair expressions
From Madam CJ Walker
To Mrs. Michelle Obama
My curls are audacious
My curls are bold
My curls are fully deserving of this—
Their very own ode
All rights reserved
[first published in 2022, bringing it back for BHM ‘25]
Afterword: Hair was a sacred cultural and spiritual symbol in ancient African societies. Slave traders, as a first step in a process of systemic culture and identity erasure, would shave the heads of all African people they captured. Hair texture and styling played an important role in the survival of enslaved Black people. For instance, in the 1960s, the afro became a symbol of self-empowerment and activism. Black hair is black resistance.
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In creative solidarity, Dee
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