my hair was messy this morning

in two braids that i put it in last night

wash day is today

i typically wash my hair every Saturday in the morning

today was different

mom wanted to go to the store

i wanted to go with her

i put on a hoodie and jeans

didn’t bother to fix my hair

i didn’t care i would just put my hood up

we entered the store and we’re looking for wood flooring

we’re going to take the carpeting out of my room

i was excited

my hood was up

not all the way through i wanted to be able to see my peripherals

half hanging off my head

just to cover the braids

a woman walked by

didn’t say excuse me

just marched on by

what a snob

mom and i kept looking for our supplies

she walked past again

and again

this time with workers

whom she showed no manners

and again

walked by

with each time she walked past me

she clutched her purse

tugging it closer and closer to her body as if she felt unsafe

insecure

and every time she walked past me the further away she got

the looser her grip

my skin went pale

as if trying to camouflage my way out

like a chameleon

the hood that covered my hair

i wished could cover my skin

and in that moment

my two messy braids

meant absolutely nothing to me

all i could think about was how my hood being up

and my skin being dark

insinuated

that i was

a thug.