Afro Headed Boy
Hair thicker than
spiking grass burrs
an afro to remember.
Squirrels tried to
tiptoe through
became trapped by
whip, whorl, workings,
of blood & netting
electrifying his hair and brain.
Could deep gypsy song
lure dragonflies to navigate
wiry spider’s web
of locks that never
tasted Afro Sheen?
Tangled like forest undergrowth
barbed wire labyrinth
begging for exit passage
and sturdy comb.
Attractive in its own
way, women razored
fingers trying to smooth.
Mothers admired the mess.
Sisters offered combs, picks.
Buddies envied, rhapsodized.
Ancient Greeks would
oil and groom those locks
before battle.
Designate him as champion,
direct him to no-man’s land
to defend the polis.
Horn blast signals combat.
Without helmet
Afro headed boy
raises prayer to wooly crown,
enters armed combat, confident,
humming Motown in heroic couplets.
