This Fro

This Fro By Carla Beachem

 

‪See this fro?

This is the fro my daughter will have.

She will wear it with pride.

She will style it in all kinda crazy ways but will always know that this is its most natural form.

And though she may change it a lot, she will love this fro because she will know that like her, it is rebellious.

It doesn’t need permission.

And will never ask for forgiveness.

 

I will call my daughter Africa.

And though I be her motherland, I will protect her

As though she were mine.

I will teach her to love herself so hard that

Anyone in her presence will regard her as a present.

She will know love in its rawest, most natural form.

She will recognize that though it comes with its kinks,

And some days it will be harder to maintain than others,

Love is part of self-preservation, and she will stop at no length

To seek, create, and maintain love everywhere she goes.

 

I will teach my daughter to give love but to be aware of hate

And the way it will attack

The sway of her hips,

The twang in her talk,

The roll of her neck

And the bounce in her walk.

And she will love herself more knowing that she is despised

And envied for all that she has.

 

When she hurts, I will comfort her.

But I will also tell her that pain as a prequel to ascension.

I will remind her of the hours spent working on wash day

And how at the end of that excruciating process she always walked away

Looking, feeling, and being better than before.

She will know that life is a lot like her fro, so at the end, it will all be worth it.