All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
Curly Hair.
I’ve got curly hair
A little past my chest now.
My curly hair
Comes from a strange mix
Of African-American
And Chinese blood.
I joined the swim team
In the fifth grade.
And the chlorine monster
Ate away at my ends.
I had to cut it.
It was too short,
And bleached and
Dead.
It took about three years
For it to grow.
I’m in ninth grade now.
And it’s a little past my chest.
I straightened my hair
One time, a year later
And everyone said
I looked better.
I straightened my bangs,
Dry and course
For a year and a half
Until I admitted to myself,
That I didn’t even like it.
So why was I doing it?
I cried in the mirror
On a Saturday afternoon
When I realized not even
A flat iron could tame my curls.
I’ve got curly hair.
A little past my chest now.
Girls with straight hair
Use curling irons!
And they want me
To get rid of what I was naturally blessed with?
How messed up is that?
People always tell me
I need to straighten it
I need to get rid of
My bouncy, dark-brown curls.
But what they don’t say
Is that they want me
To look
Just like everyone else.
Why would I want to do that?
Why would I want
To please you?
Someone who doesn’t like me
For what I look like.
HEY! I can’t help it!
But I sure wouldn’t want to change it.
It’s taken my three years and counting
To appreciate what I’ve got.
My curly hair.
A little past my chest now.
![](http://cdn.teenink.com/art/June00/CurlyHair72.gif)
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 4 comments.
Thanks :D
Rock on, man.
15 articles 1 photo 139 comments
Favorite Quote:
"People change so you can learn to let go, things go wrong so you can appreciate them when they go right, and things fall apart so better things can fall together."
-Marilyn Monroe