I have tried almost every hair length, quite literally, as I have shaved my head. However there is one length I haven’t worn yet, and that’s ultra long. I attribute this to stylists wanting to cut off the “dead ends” and “clean it up.” When your hair reaches a certain length it grows at a slower rate, so eventually that 1 inch trim just eradicates any progress made since the last salon visit. I’m over it. I don’t want to look cleaned-up. I want to look as ancient as I feel. I want to conjure the image my ancestors. I want every strand of hair to tell the story of all the things I have seen, felt, and carried with me, until it all turns white, at which point the children will gather around at my feet, and pull at my skirt for a story or a song, some magic. Unmanicured and unmasked, let my hair be a reminder to myself that no matter what society has made of me, I am still wild and free.