My Hair
by Marina Alefosio
My hair speaks in volumes just like me
an unpredictable afro that can represent
afrocentricity
but it’s a Polynesian parcel
passed down through ancestry
Skipped my older brother
my little sis
and awarded itself
to my little brother Ben and me
I don’t need hair extensions
My hair is an extension of my personality
it keeps me grounded
to be without it
would mean to defy gravity
because if I chopped it off
then I would lift off
in the sky like a hot air balloon
so I need to keep this hot hair on my head
and pass it on like a heirloom
It’s a storyteller just like me
my hair blabbers on and on about its moods
when I’m ecstatic the curls become static
and when its tied up, I’m tied up
needing chemical and edible food
If ever I get ashamed of it
and straighten it
the rain will surely remind me who I am
the frizz will reappear
the aff will expand
putting shame on the GHD brand
But my trick is to leave in conditioner
like I haven’t been conditioned enough
I’m trying to please societies needs
but then I break every hair tie and brush
the critics
they mock
they blow dry
they tease
telling me to replace it with wigs and weaves
like I was born of copycat breed
that’s like telling a bush to pull out its own weeds
The body of my hair
is like the body of mine
that’s why they’re a perfect match
the curls are my curves
the bounce are my hips
and that’s why it could never be detached
My hair speaks in volumes just like me
an unpredictable afro that can represent afrocentricity
but it’s a Polynesian parcel passed down through ancestry
A crown of culture embedded in my head
that I will forever wear proudly
