flat hair

so we try to keep birthdays simple
to avoid materialism
and emphasize family.
i asked my february-born child
what one thing she wanted for her birthday.
she explained that since she already had
a tutu and butterfly wings
that the only thing she really wanted was
flat hair.

she means hair that is straight.

this she asks of a mama that has worn her hair natural
for more than 10 years.
a mama whose distant memories include
a perm burning her scalp as