Nagwa.
“I WAS GOING THROUGH A REALLY ROUGH PERIOD IN MY LIFE, AND I WOKE UP ONE DAY, READY FOR A FRESH START. I WENT TO THE BARBER THAT MORNING, AND HE SHAVED ALL MY HAIR OFF. THERE WERE TEARS IN MY EYES, BUT HAPPY TEARS, BECAUSE IT WAS A CLEANSE, A FRESH START, A SIGN OF A NEW BEGINNING.”
You was beginning to see dead ends where you should have been seeing hope. And somehow you’d forgotten what it would be like to find light on your palms, instead of unseeing it in your own reflection. And so that Monday morning when you woke up smelling rain and moist concrete(your mother taught you this was the smell of transition), you knew that you were ready for something different - a fresh start. That morning you spent extra time in the shower, savoring the moment as your hair dripped with soap and oils. You oiled your body and blowdried your hair, putting the heat on low so that your fingers could linger in your curls a little longer. You reminded yourself that you had woken up smelling change and transition, so you walked to the barber and he shaved all your hair off. You had a fade - that Nelson Mandela cut that reminded you of battles fought and battles to be won. Tears lingered in your eyes, and you almost interpreted them as sadness and regret, but these were happy tears. Tears that reminded you that you were about to embark on a journey of intense cleansing; one on which you find a fresh start and a new beginning