Beauty

 

Beauty your nigger-knots are
                         unmanageable
we’ll have to comb them down
s t r a i g h t
                         but they’re tricky with
resilience, they’d rather hang loose
curling up from their roots.

What about braids with pretty beads?

Nappy twists won’t do
Let’s straighten it flat.

It will undo.

No, it will take the kink away from you.

I love how it curls–

But you have such a pretty-pale face Beauty,
It’s hard to see you through this pile of bush.

… But     I     see me.

Shh hush now.
R e l a x      as      I      permanently
take away the ack from your
blackness
and     leave     you
BLACK LESS

                         sit.
                                                  stay.
                                                                           wait.

The white will
burn me away.

You have good hair     now     Beauty
The ugly is pressed down
If only we could do something about your tongue.

About NAT chantel

NAT chantel is an African Nova Scotian emerging artist and writer whose work reflects “home” and the human condition as it relates to the appropriation of culture, body and tongue. Her literary focus on patterns of silence and being silenced seeks to disrupt societal structures that shape one’s identity and sense of belonging. To give voice to the experiences that fall in-between sound she undresses the relationship between self and other and gives space to examine and expose assaults against the suppressed, oppressed and marginalized. NAT has a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and currently develops recreation-, art- and literacy-based programs for children.

One thought on “Beauty

  1. David Woods

    Powerful…especially audio version that better captures what is intended. Great last line
    ‘Now if we could do something about your tongue’

    Reply

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