The sweet taste of scrapes – Erin Crittendon

Cover, straighten, cut, and Hide

People have told me all my life.

My hair is a weapon for the revolution.

A tool to cause problems.

But never to be seen in a menses of beauty

People say you can’t be seen by a man with that mess of wool on her head.

Not considering how cool this wool can be.

 

Never in my life have I felt like the object of desire

Men walk right past me as if I should expire.

Not knowing that our beauty has been ripped away and told to be put in a box.

 

It’s just one addendum to how he chooses to see me,

Never is there a time where I am meant to be a

Standard.

 

With that standard being so strong

It shouldn’t be wrong for my hair to be silky and long

He ignores me, does not see me as his.

 

I know in my heart his validation should not be where ends meet

But how will I survive without ever be seen,

 Or to breed his touch.

 

I gave him so much and now he wants to throw it all away

Putting me through this tried cycle.

 

Why must I always fight to be loved,

Why must I always have to be an exception, instead of the expectation.

I just want to be loved and cherished.

 

Feed me the scrapes is what they say

I deserve nothing, pushed aside to make room for his ego.

 

Well, you must understand right,

You must push aside your pride, and take what you can get

We all know that you can’t pull more than you push.

 

But why don’t I stop pushing, and start to pull

Pull what the lord or the world knows I deserve.

Never settling for scrapes but rather the roses.

 

So, I walk back into this tired old room

And now I must say that I’m done

 

He needs time he says,

Well, my heart is on a clock as well,

 and she speaks that

His time is up.