When We Were Beautiful

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Remember the time. Remember the days. Before the weave….. After the straightening comb and fried dried perm, wig……. When we were beautiful, Oh, so black and beautiful. When the character of black was natural beauty. Full shaped, shaved afro, natural "angela davis beautiful"! Afro No chemicals, no perms, no madame Whoever No purchased existential emulations of beauty from a foreign, shaved head No synthetic being. How can I feel beautiful with someone else’s hair? No locks of beauty yet, yet, yet Or fake braids down the back like you woke. However you may have be born, you wore it, proudly. But natural black America beauty, real awoke. Just our washed and sun-dried selves, picked out and afro sheen, clean pure razor-sharp black hair Fists razed in defiance of oppression and beautiful. “A natural,” they said “Naturally, beautifully pure” Remember, when we were beautiful.