I've been reading a poem-a-day in my email input box for years. And every once in a while I come across a poem that seems to take my breath away. The one I'm sharing with you today is that one for now. I hope you love it as much as I do. Congratulations Jacqueline Woodson for your wonderful poem. Absolute Jacqueline Woodson The summer I was ten a teenager named Kim butterflied my hair. Cornrows curling into braids  behind each ear. Everybody’s wearing this style now, Kim said. Who could try to tell me I wasn’t beautiful. The magic in something as once ordinary as hair that for too long  had not been good enough now winged and amazing  now connected  to a long line of crowns. Now connected to a long line of girls moving through Brooklyn with our heads held so high, our necks ached. You must  know this too – that feeling  of being so much more than you once believed yourself to be so much more than your … [Read more...]