Acceptance

A poem by Rhoda Jordan...

When I was a little girl, I had a million curls
Flowing in every direction
But when I looked around and saw all the straight hair
I figured that was the way to perfection.

So off I went, down to the corner salon
Holding my mom's hand real tight
And when I sat in that chair and unveiled all my hair,
The stylist's eyes widened with fright!

"It's so thick," she said, with a tentative voice
As if two antlers had sprung from my head
Then she proceeded to relax all my hair
And the life of each curl was bled.

I went home with straight hair, down past my shoulders
And felt strange, like a whole other girl
But when they all started "ooohing" and "aaahing" with glee
I forgot all about my old curls.

There was an inner satisfaction, a proud kind of glow
Beating inside of my heart
For now I had finally discovered just how,
Of society, to become a part.

However, I soon learned it was a great deal of work
Of chemicals, hot combs, long hours
Of scars on my scalp, of splits on my ends
Of screeching for cover in rainy showers.

And not only that, but underneath it all
There was a feeling inside of denial
Of covering up, trying to be someone else
Of imitating some other's style.

Then I realized that my choice to lose all the curls
Was just a mere attempt to fit in
And through all the years, I realized that
Self Love doesn't work outside-in.

So I took a deep breath and I grew out my curls
Loved every inch of what I saw
I loved every curve, and I loved every strand
Each curl simply filled me with awe.

And I found my Self Love, and I took it and ran
And I painted my life with pure pleasure
And now I can go out, curly or straight,
And be filled up with joy beyond measure!