They say hair holds memories
I was around 5 years old the first time my mom cut my hair
It was as long as the horizon
Every morning, my mom would comb it, brush it, and braid it
“Don’t let anyone touch your hair,” she would tell me
Down past my waist, it was my pride
I’d hold it (and still do) when I was nervous
When I was 5 years old, my mom cut my hair
It was so long that I had to stand on a stool for her to be able to cut it
There was a lice breakout at school, and I couldn’t afford to keep my hair anymore
And I cried and wailed as the deafening sound of those scissors cutting off my lifeline filled my ears.
It has never grown back quite the same
At 5 years old, my world came crashing down
“These will make a nice wig for a little kid with cancer out there who wishes they still had hair like yours,” my mom would say
But nothing comforted me, and nothing looked the same
They say hair holds memories
And at 15, I cut it off
10 inches to be exact
As I took the scissors to my hair and watched it fall
My world came crashing down again
The bad days and the sleepless nights and the stress and the crying and the pain
I cut it all off
I went from hair down to my waist to shoulder-length hair
I had a new beginning, and everything felt lighter, and I felt new, like a whole different person with endless roads and possibilities and ways to grow
My head was lifted
And I stood.
10 inches taller.
I was around 5 years old the first time my mom cut my hair
It was as long as the horizon
Every morning, my mom would comb it, brush it, and braid it
“Don’t let anyone touch your hair,” she would tell me
Down past my waist, it was my pride
I’d hold it (and still do) when I was nervous
When I was 5 years old, my mom cut my hair
It was so long that I had to stand on a stool for her to be able to cut it
There was a lice breakout at school, and I couldn’t afford to keep my hair anymore
And I cried and wailed as the deafening sound of those scissors cutting off my lifeline filled my ears.
It has never grown back quite the same
At 5 years old, my world came crashing down
“These will make a nice wig for a little kid with cancer out there who wishes they still had hair like yours,” my mom would say
But nothing comforted me, and nothing looked the same
They say hair holds memories
And at 15, I cut it off
10 inches to be exact
As I took the scissors to my hair and watched it fall
My world came crashing down again
The bad days and the sleepless nights and the stress and the crying and the pain
I cut it all off
I went from hair down to my waist to shoulder-length hair
I had a new beginning, and everything felt lighter, and I felt new, like a whole different person with endless roads and possibilities and ways to grow
My head was lifted
And I stood.
10 inches taller.
