No Kink in My Hair



Growing up in Jamaica

No kink in my hair, mine was a Lions mane                                                                                                Long, thick, dark, curly hair -With oh so much texture

To be cursed as a young girl with dry, colored red by the sun locks
Too thick to tame , this was my lot in life
Hours of brushing and combing as I winced in pain
Never dare to move or else the back side of the comb would be felt on your scalp
Ouch! To be punished because of my hair
I began to hate it and want hers
Longing for her white hair, straight hair, long smooth hair, blown by the wind perfect hair
Mine was big, thick and poofy, long and heavy and hot
No pony tail could hold it, so I cut it short but an afro did not suit me
So it began, hot heat, chemicals, straightening, then finally it laid down flat and didn’t get back up
Everyone noticed and told me how pretty I looked
Confirming that before I was not
I solidified the lie in my frontal cortex and accepted that God does make mistakes
This new hair matched my hazel eyes and carmel skin
This was the hair I was meant to have

But it wasn’t mine…
So the journey began back to my roots, back to my heritage, back to loving me
Every morning I looked in the mirror at my lions mane with no clips holding it down
No heat to damage it, no chemicals to take away what was natural
I thanked God for what he had given to me and how He had made me
And a little bit of my identity returned everyday
I became glad again to be me
Happy that I had a head full of thick, long, beautiful. Glory colored highlights from the sun
How my hair began to compliment not only my eyes and my skin color, but also my journey
I twisted it, let the wind blow through it as it dried naturally, allowing the thickness to surround the sides of my face like a crown
I carried the weight of not letting scissors chop off what God had given to me
I was Free to Be…Me!
Then I began to hear “ wow your hair is gorgeous”, “I love your hair”, “how do you do those braids?”, “I wish I could do my hair like that!” and “ you are so pretty”.
I flung my head back and walked like the lioness I knew I was. Letting my mane roar for me.

So whether you have a kink in your hair or a texture unlike another, express yourself however you like as long as you make sure it is not from a place of not loving you. You are fearfully and wonderfully created, so swing your locks, love your twists, pick out that Fro and don’t let your style hold you down. You are more than your hair, you are a lioness so go ahead and let the world hear your Roar!