DON'T TOUCH!
~ Chime March 2, 2002
To create those extensions, how long did it take
All the hair on my head is mine, it’s not fake
But, without further ado
Fingers foreign rifle through
My crowning glory, my tresses, my locks
Respect is quite lacking, could a person be ruder
Best remove those five digits I warn the intruder
Or, I might do the same thing to you
Then you’d know the feeling
And it’s not very appealing
A lab specimen, I’m not, so adieu
But for some reason, it’s open season
Around my hair and the do’s that I sport
Whether Chinese bumps, twists, or styled rather short
Wavy, spirals, curly, afro, cornrows
Nothing’s off limits for the terminally curious
Examinations are par for the course
These ‘walk-by’ hair fondlings are not new to me
As a child back in England
That the pat on the head of a ‘darky’ kid
Would bestow lots of luck on a person
News flash - I’m neither good luck charm nor pet
Simply a human being deserving of respect
That was the past, it’s a new millenium
People have learned so much since then
If permission to stroke has not been granted
My advice to you is simple and such
Treat others as you’d have them treat you
My hair’s off limits to you and don’t touch
I wrote this poem nine years ago and it's still applicable unfortunately as it happened again yesterday! Yikes, when will it end? The offender made a sneaky swipe of one of my sacred tresses just after shaking my hand. Whoooooaaah. Don't f------g touch my hair!
Interestingly enough, ReVision Quest, a CBC radio show mixing storytelling, current affairs interviews and comedy to explore issues affecting Native peoples today, recently ran an episode on the importance of hair to Native Peoples. Although I'm non-Native, my hair is important and sacred to me.
I hope you understand.
Thank you.
Chime
