When her knight in shining armor screeched from below,
She shook her wiggly, poofy curls and said, “Beat it, I’m not in trouble.”
Nevertheless, he persisted:
“Princess, let me save you!”
“Rapunzel look at me…”
“We can be together soon…”
She got to thinkin’
_
She got to washin’
She got to conditionin’
She got to combin’, and breaking the comb:
that plastic was no might for our girl.
She got to blow dryin’
She got to hot combin’
She got to flat ironin’
_
Her hair made its way to the window and floated down
Our girl slid down her locks because
Black girl hair is strong enough for magic
_
Her white knight cooed, “I like your hair”
Our princess replied, “It is not for you.”
_
She could hear her brothers and sisters dancing far off
And as she ran to jive with them,
Rain sprinkled down, saving our princess,
poofin’ her hair.
________________________________________
A note from the author:
When I began writing “Nappy Rapunzel,” I kept in mind what kind of hero I would’ve liked to see when I was younger. She’s someone who’s not afraid to be alone and often prefers it. She’s sassy and doesn’t need someone to tell her she’s beautiful. She takes initiative. She’s someone who doesn’t need a white knight. She isn’t afraid to ruin her freshly straightened hair, something I was afraid of when I was younger. While bringing this Rapunzel to life, I kept this curly headed girl in the front of my mind. It was like she was writing the poem for me, telling me what she would do next. I feel like my hair has always been a big part of who I am. When I walk into a room, my hair is already miles ahead of me. It’s talking before I start my conversations. It ends opportunities before I’ve gotten the chance to prove myself. It makes some people like me before they even know my name. I have not always been confident in the way I wear my hair, and I think if I could’ve seen a poem like this, things could’ve been different. I want others to have the courage to love their hair as well. Whether someone’s hair is flat ironed, permed, in braids, looking crazy or au naturale, they should feel beautiful and comfortable.
Photo courtesy of: Mckenzie Baker