Rose-Marie Athiley, Author at midnight & indigo https://www.midnightandindigo.com/author/rose-marie-athiley/ A Home for Black Women Writers Mon, 26 Jul 2021 06:41:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://i0.wp.com/www.midnightandindigo.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/unnamed-file.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Rose-Marie Athiley, Author at midnight & indigo https://www.midnightandindigo.com/author/rose-marie-athiley/ 32 32 153713158 Wash Day https://www.midnightandindigo.com/wash-day/ Tue, 22 Jun 2021 04:00:46 +0000 https://www.midnightandindigo.com/?p=78079 Part I: Just For Me I look forward to the tri-annual ritual. My mother prepares to sacrifice her firstborn to the white man’s god. The hair growing from my seven-year-old head is the physical offering; my self-esteem and self-love are the tributes beyond sight. Temporary satisfaction disguised as permanent beauty makes me feel like I’m living up to the standards never meant for me. The hands of the unlicensed chemist open the box of Just For Me relaxer and put on the provided gloves for protection. She no longer needs to read the French instructions. My mother takes the liquid

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