NAKED

Don’t you know? A girl’s hair is her crown…

My natural hair brought me fear 
I was scared to wear the hair that grew from my scalp 
Because I felt they would laugh or just stare again - their specialty, gosh is it July yet? 

An unwarranted touch is what I couldn’t accept 
A focus on my hair when you’ve never had a care before 
But for the need to let my hair breathe
I wouldn’t be sharing this side of me with thee

Don’t you know? 
A girl’s hair is her crown 
And I’ve been wearing mine upside down 
Trying to validate myself through your eyes 
Trying to avoid your sexualised smiles 

But now my afro will obliterate 
All the pain you caused me
All the confidence you stripped away 
Because you feigned a like for my kind 
You designed a world where I was the object of your desire 
Except I didn’t live there 
I never did 

I lived amongst the cherub trees, 
the soft candy floss texture of my
Beautiful hair 
Which I stroked and felt 
To remind myself that I was still there
That I was still me regardless of how you perceived me to be 

My hair taught me how to be free
How to live con-fi-dent-ly 
The power of four 
Fire, water, earth and wind 
All blend to place me in my element 
Part and parcel of this world 
A woman to be adored 
For who I am as a whole 

And now I know. 
And now, I know.