My hair is racist
ain’t no white person
cutting my hair
not after I waited over three decades
for a haircut that made sense
years of bad home perms
white people think Asian hair
the same as white hair
The best haircut ever
awaited me across the Pacific
down a cobblestone Seoul alley
near the women’s university
ten dollars, a stylist, two assistants
topped off with a coupon
for my next visit
a salon where children get their hair colored
cuz it’s what you do in Korea!
Once I crossed the line
from white to yellow
I never let another white person
touch my hair
didn’t care if the white intern
felt bad when I told her Hands off.
I’ve done my time with bad haircuts
why pay someone
if I know they’re going to mess it up?
Again?