...And the clippers gently kissed my hair
Tired strands of pain lying here and there
Exhale - Exhale
How people stop and stare
Leavin' years of hurt lyin' 'round everywhere...
 
Archives are only a tribute to the past
Belated testimonies to events that didn't last
I sigh and I wonder in each nostalgic blast
What if...but if...only if...so fast -
Born with the weakened roots of a father who rejected me
Nurtured by the tears of a mother as her only legacy
Tainted by a familial turmoil still now under lock and key
Transplanted to a new soil in a bitter attempt to become free
I wrote and I wrote 'til my ink flowed red
I cried and I cried for my Spirit to be fed
I made my mistakes, so eagerly was I misled
Tried to avoid repercussions, but I'd made my own bed
Destroyed twin seeds brought about in carnal lust
Shallowly planted by a man in whom I held no trust
Was the second time I'd caused my own heart to burst
Too blind to put anyone but myself out here first
I'm weaker than I'd like.  Not as smart as I come across.
You, the one reading this poem, are the first to see my loss
Or at least to peek into this realm of emotional cost
Witness to this tragedy of what is and is not false
On the barber's floor lay all my inner hate
To be swept away quickly through insecurity's gate
I paused and I shuddered, facing this newly forced fate
Reborn from the roots, my enlightening did take
All the previous lovers are now only mere strands
Intertwining in my strength, banishing reprimands
My locks are growing through the clay and Egyptian sands
Centered by Mother Earth, encased in God's protective hands
See, I love myself now more than I've ever loved another
Yes, I am still flawed but yet I strive to develop further
Opening my heart now to the younger Sister and Brother
Becoming in essence my own greatest Barber, Greatest Lover -
...And the clippers gently kissed my hair
Tired strands of pain lying here and there
Exhale - Exhale
How people stop and stare
Leavin' years of hurt lyin' 'round everywhere...