Sydney Blondell’s most recent poem to appear here was “City to Country” (October 2019).
Not A Boy
By Sydney Blondell
My hair may be short
and I know you may find
it hard to believe, but no,
I am not a boy.
I am not transitioning,
although I am an ally.
But to all of the ignorant
people who have questioned
my gender—
no, I am not my mother’s son.
My question will always remain—
how does one’s hair
define their gender?
My hair may be short, but
I do not look down and see
what those who have questioned
think I see.
To answer the ignorant question
once more—
No, I am not a boy.
Thank you for reminding us of our shared insensitivities. Women initially cut their hair in defiance, of being denied their respect as people, not as objects of beauty by how long and luxurious their hair
became them. Key word: objects.