My Name is Jali

Strand by strand Hot metal in the air, poised and ready to turn screw to straight Forced to concentrate on the task at hand I'm at the mirror for hours watching the transformation Thick hair holding the comb up as it tries to part it for its intervention It says it's not ready but the comb blazes through Then the heat comes, and the hair sizzles and falls limp My life is one transformation after another Like my hair, I try to resist I want to stay in the state I think is natural but there's something ripping me apart from it And just as I recover from the separation the heat comes I'm helpless to stop it; I can only watch it happen Again... and again.... and again...... But my hair showed length and strength And light and bounce and versatility when I finished I can only assume We've traveled down the same road thus far I can only have a similar outcome.

  a woman's work is never done a woman's drama is never finished  but with the help of her sisters a woman can get through the hard times  and smile as though they never existed

I understand the themes of life How each door closes so you can find another And your life is a continuing cycle of change and finding ways to cope I understand the terms of people They have the right to refuse to remain the same And if you can't keep up, then that's your problem to deal with your own way I understand that I am blessed Even when I feel cursed When I feel like nothing is going my way and I'm challenged by my thirst To always keep one foot forward and stay ahead of the game But sometimes each step I take to go ahead falls on a windmill that pushes me back And this circle never stops and I don't know how to get off without falling Back to the place I started And I understand... Nothing. Not even me.