Hair

You sprout unapologeticallyLuscious locksCascadingDown the grooves of my spineA point of prideI have been taught to care for youSince childhoodUnder my mothers watchYou were oiled weeklyCoated in the sweet aromaOf coconutIt lingers inMy naniji's soft handsMixed withatta & masala.You also live inHidden placesCoarse & darkI rip you from my beingUntil beads of blood beginTo form.Perhaps to mournA loss.I haveTornTuggedPluckedCutYou,You who I soCherished,From myself.I have excavatedPieces of youTrapped beneath layers of skinDigging you out withFervent fingernails.The cavity you leave behindGapes back at meRaw & pink.You frameMy brothers' facesIn ancestryYet you also frame themIn the heavy weight ofsneaking suspicions& twisted terrors.You flourish inThe dichotomyOf my love& hatredOf you.ButI could neverCurb your cultivationFor you blossomFrom our rootsAnd our roots,Well, they're unbreakable.