Pow-Wow Braids | Teen Ink

Pow-Wow Braids MAG

November 21, 2009
By NaTivE_BeAutiE GOLD, Ann Arbor, Michigan
NaTivE_BeAutiE GOLD, Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
~a woman looked at me and said, "You know, you really don't look Indian."So I smiled at her and responded: "Well you don't look stupid, but appearances can be awfully deceiving."~


Nervousness crumples her temple,
her eyebrows pinch at the tingling pain
from her head as her mother finishes up

the
Two coils of thick ebony hair weaving their way over her shoulders.

She tugs them with her restless hands
and throws them over her shoulders.
Reluctantly, she enters the arena.

As the singers start,
she moves effortlessly along,
a dream.

Her feet step with grace, harmony, and a rhythmic unison
to the sacred drumming.

Abruptly, something inside her
awakens,
and an unexpected smile crawls gradually onto her face,
her shadowed eyes are no longer dim,
instead they reflect an assuring flame.

Her curious hands mingle and tease
her pow-wow braids, her hair
the color of shiny raven feathers.

She cannot help feeling a love for her people,
an appreciation for herself,
and a pride in the

two coils of dense ebony hair
weaving their way
from the crown of her head,
down the curl of her back,
over the sturdiness of her shoulders,
and into the sincerity of her heart.



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This article has 4 comments.


AshTree SILVER said...
on Nov. 21 2010 at 3:07 pm
AshTree SILVER, Clarksville, Tennessee
7 articles 0 photos 196 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Live your art" -made this one up myself. Simple, but true.

I love this!!!! Beautiful job and details! 5 stars

ksd603 BRONZE said...
on Oct. 26 2010 at 2:11 pm
ksd603 BRONZE, Addis, Louisiana
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments
This poem has BEAUTIFUL details. I enjoyed reading it and although the article is written as a poem, I felt as if I was reading a short story. The ending is my favorite part; to quote a line: "and into the sincerity of her heart". Beautiful job.

on Oct. 2 2010 at 6:34 pm
NaTivE_BeAutiE GOLD, Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
~a woman looked at me and said, "You know, you really don't look Indian."So I smiled at her and responded: "Well you don't look stupid, but appearances can be awfully deceiving."~

Thank you Jtrombetti1010! Feedback always appreciated. 

on Jan. 10 2010 at 2:32 am
Jtrombetti1010 GOLD, Salt Lake, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 19 comments
this thing is ALL OVER THE PLACE,

its intense

i LOVE it