The Line of Aj’a
Her skin is smooth, dark toffee.
Her rough black hair is neatly plaited.
Evenly spaced cornrows cover the
Graceful curves of her skull
With an ancestral helmet
Bordered by large hoop earrings.
The tight rows escape at her neck
Into long braids that twist
And flow like rivers.
Braids so long, they reach all the way
Back to Africa—
Where her tall, slender foremother
Balanced water by the river,
Where giraffes stoop low for a drink,
Where humanity grew proud and independent.
Her roots.
Hair roots.
Strong and lasting.
(© 2005 Connie S. Tettenborn)