The Lioness Mane

Mine is thin 

and feels like silk

and it is beautiful

when a breeze sweeps it up

and blows it around my silhouette

like ribbons twirling and dancing.

My sister’s is rough and thick

and spirals in a long braid

which winds down her spine

to her knees

and swings side to side

with every step.

I still remember when mama

would brush our hair

when we were little girls

and weave long braids

and kiss us on the foreheads

and tell us we were beautiful,

that our hair was beautiful,

that is was a gift from God.

I would always be mesmerized

by how glamorous she looked

with her black hair down,

dripping water,

and wondered why

she would always tie it

into a tight bun

when it dried,

until I started doing the same

because it just looked cleaner that way.

But now I wonder

if hair was ever meant to be obedient;

why not just let it grow free and untamed?

Because I know my Guru

saw me

like a lioness

with a long wild mane

that flies as the wind carries it about

untouched by anything

but Mother Nature

Sometimes I wear my dark mane out

and close my eyes

and feel it whirling around me

playing with the air

that carries the dust

of all my ancestors

that gave their lives

to protect this gift from God,

so that one day
I could be a princess,
with my dark long hair
as my crown.

And at those times

I can feel

the lioness

that hides

deep inside my soul

and I can’t help but wish I were stronger.

There are only three truths in life.

Lately, I’ve become a slave of logic.

It’s fascinating because it breaks everything down – all complex things become simple if-then statements. It is sensible; it is straightforward.

And lately, I’ve been wondering how truth fits into the whole scheme of everything. What is truth? Because what we often take as fact is usually just a combination of other facts; if you really dig deep and break them all down, everything collapses into nothingness. There are almost no facts; there is almost no truth.

Conclusion #1: The only truth I know is that I am alive.

I know this because I can see, taste, breathe, and think, and create. I know this because I can feel joy and pain. I know this because I can love and hurt. But these things cannot be explained. I know them to be true because all the systems in my body are working in such a way that I can feel these things. Therefore, that must mean that I am alive.

Conclusion #2: If I am alive, then I was born.

Conclusion #3: If I was born, then I will die.

That’s it. Those are all the truths I know.

It’s kind of scary how logic boils down to these three truths.

I was born. I am alive. I will die.

Given these statements, life seems oddly simple considering how complex we always make it out to be. It’s like we were snapped into existence and one day we’ll be snapped out; on and off, with some time in between. That time in between is long enough to make something of it and short enough to waste away.

I feel like there’s a trick to it though. Maybe if we make something of our lives, something unbound by the tethers of death, it will continue to survive after we’re gone. And that way, even though we will die, some part of us won’t; some part of us will live on long after.

Five days ago, Steve Jobs, a brilliant man, passed away. He may have came to these conclusions early in life, because he spent his time creating and revolutionizing technology that ensured his legacy would live on long past his years on earth. Today, I’d like to commemorate his incredible life and leave you with something he once said:

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new...Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

May we all learn to follow our hearts. ♥