the curls waltzed into my life
during puberty.
I saw my mother’s stoic straightening.
I already knew the steps to this dance.
still, I had a nagging feeling
& enough burnt ears to realize
if my hair grew out a certain way,
wasn’t it meant to?
when I finally had enough
of the bright lights
in the hair salon
that didn’t have sulfate-free shampoo,
I asked the keratin treatments
to exit the theater,
told the straightener
I no longer required
its backstage services,
& I put on a show
Royal Rose 