My Identity

Afrocentric

My thick, curly, illustrious, Afrocentric hair is my identity 

Rooted deep in ancestral memories 

I will not straighten my arc history 

My curls doing the tangle with every shake of my neck

Oh, how beautiful it looks

My hair is my identity

How else would you know the imperfection of my past? 

The strands that represent the power of black women

Unshaken by the sun, but defined by its beam

The power to curl, twists, and braid

How can I be defeated with such transcendence? 

My hair is my identity

What each lines means

Line 1: Explaining how the beauty of my hair makes me see it as my identity. 

Line 2: My hair is connected with my ancestors, and has a lot of historic meaning.

Line 3: This line refers to how I will not like to change the texture of my hair because it will be similar to me trying to change my history, which I do not want.

Line 4: This is a play of words of how my hair is always tangled when curled up, I’m saying that its like they are dancing.

Line 5: It looks beautiful 

Line 6: I am emphasizing how my hair is my identity. 

Line7: How will people know my origin and where I am from, if my hair is in a different style than what it should be.

Line 8: The strength of my hair represents the strength of black women.

Line 9: The ability of my hair to take on different forms.

Line 10: How can life defeat me, or words defeat me, when I HAVE such power to do whatever with my hair.

Line 11: I am emphasizing how my hair is my identity.