Bantu Knots to Afros

Recently I was wondering why after washing my daughter’s hair I never corks screw (Bantu knots or Zulu knots) her hair. For those of you who do not know what it is let me give you some more details. I recall between the years of 5-12 on Saturdays all the women and girls would wash their hair.  They would always corkscrew my hair. Once it was dried they would unlock it and it made a lovely soft fluffy afro. It was possible that the corkscrews/bantu knots were used to squeeze the excess water from the hair, making it easier to manage. The afro always seemed to look better on people with courser hair as it could withstand any wind or even rain. By the way “The afro is a classic [hair] style that was popularized in the United States during the 1960′s and ’70′s.”

I went to a Caribbean conference last year and I saw an adult woman who actually wore her hair that way to go to work. My initial reaction was “oh no sister you do not leave the walls of your house with your hair looking like that.”  I had a sudden prodigious appetite for gossip. As I was not able to talk to anyone in the conference the more I stared at her, the more I noticed that there was certain chemistry about it; it began to look as if it were a piece of art. Maybe it was the way she carried it off; with such elegance and her self expression. She converted me that afternoon because I left feeling that strength of expression of black hair as there was something earthbound about the corkscrews. The Corkscrews seemed as if it took on its own spirit with a cool vibe.

Terraced corkscrew sculpt

Staggering thoughts cover her parts

Colonial impressions beat

Drummed European influence

Shackles

-

Focus equals feeling

Roots

The strength of her expression

Captures something from the soul

Earthbound spirits gaze

A serene presence

Poem written by Brenda L. McCartney

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I Love You More Than Rainbows

“I Love You More Than Rainbows” when I heard (singer/songwriter) Ryan Bingham say this phrase to his wife at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards my first reaction was that it evokes images of someone who is rare and precious. It is more than a phrase it is a book by Susan E. Crites. My daughter has a similar book by Sam McBratney called “Guess How Much I Love You.” It’s about a hare and his son. He is telling his son he loves him and always will love him.  It is so amazing to think that these animated characters and simple poems can express so much love. Poems can express so clearly our emotions, from sadness to anger, from joy to boredom, we who write know how easy it is to put our minds and souls in text. Yet we also know that no words can ever convey how we truly feel. Maybe we can compare a poem to a snapshot from a black and white camera, and a book based on a poem is like a snapshot taken with high-definition Technicolor clarity. I do love my family more than rainbows and I’m glad that books – however brief can capture that reality so eloquently. This is an excerpt from Susan E. Crites’ book:

I love you more than rainbows and beautiful skies.

I love you more than buttercups and wings of butterflies.

I love you more than ice cream with sprinkles on the top,

Or jumping in the pool with a great big belly flop!