Hot Comb

Saturday night, Mom washed my hair Deeply conditioned She wrapped a hot towl Over my head and blow dryed my hair with a comb and a brush Mom took the time to part my hair piece by piece she would greese my scalp section by section she rubbed the greese in With weak tired hands Early in the wee hours of Sunday morning before church I sat in the hot kitchen Next to the stove burner With balls of sweat rolling down my cheek As Mom took hot comb From off the burner fire Held the wooden handle and pulled the hot comb through my thick cotton like hair my thick nappy ***** hair section by section she greesed the hair before burning each strand straight Until the ends would flip in the air like I was born with good hair Mom would pull my hair back and comb it into a pony tail I wore ribbons down south the ribbon with a bow part of Mississippi culture with my white Sunday dress Black patent leather shoes and white gloves I was prepared for church In preparations to meet God