Today a sister stared at me and smiled
then asked me if my curls were
natural, or a perm?
(natural, but no sister of mine)
Can I touch your hair? It looks
so fun, to play with
No
don’t
touch
my
hair
I am not an animal that has
escaped from the zoo
I am not something to be
awed at
So exotic, so different,
So erotic
So
don’t
fucking
touch
my
hair
All I hear is colonialism pouring
out of your mouth
and Sarah Baartman is rolling
over in her grave, knowing
my agony over being seen as a caged animal
a herstory we share
My
hair
reminds
us
of
her
Thick, dark, like the skin
of my Taino ancestors,
this is how they live
through me, so no
you can’t
touch my hair
Illustration by the lovely Laura Wilson
