I have this knot at the back of my head
It always seems to appear for reasons I can’t perceive
It leads me to believe that perhaps it’s always there
Sometimes it’s so small
Concealed by the rest of my hair
That my hand absent-mindedly finds it
And pulls it apart without a care
But sometimes I wake up
And it is so big!
The orange teeth of my comb
Cower when at its sight
I tell them they must persist
Though it hurts me so
I feel my scalp
Holding on for dear life
Screaming
“Why are you trying to pull us apart!”
Follicles straining at the force
Some don’t make it,
Confused fire hairs
Begin their new life between the teeth
Before my hand rips them out once more
And they fall into the bin
A sacrifice I have to make
For the knot to dissipate –
At least for some time
Enough, for me to escape this house
And live.
