Spongy little
corkscrews,
like bouncy springs
colliding in
mid air.
Fast moving
pirouettes,
untamably bold
without a care.
.
Ven pa’ca Colocha!
Le llaman a la muchacha
del pelo chinito.
Esa Negrita que
tiene tumbao’
con la boquita
de corazóncito.
.
Seen as a subversive
resistance to
colonized ideas of beauty;
patriarchal ideas
of sedated femininity
as a duty.
.
It is simply an
extension of her.
.
Like the Hazel tree,
the branches of
her hair
grow defiant.
Against
the oppression of
hot combs, hot irons,
and nappy-shaming,
it is not compliant.
.
In the summer
the ends bloom to
tiny sunflower
spinners
reaching
out toward the sun’s
golden shimmer.
.
In the winter
the ends withdraw
into tight twists
like spiral grass
embracing an
inward shift.
.
It laughs in
the breeze,
lingering notes of
honeysuckle, vanilla,
and coconut are
memory’s ease
.
She was born with
coily hair
stubborn and free
like hummingbirds
in the vault of the sky
fluttering with glee.
Alma de Colibrí 