I run my hands through the thin,
terse waves of unnatural brown
Dyed forcefully in a small act of rebellion
Against what I can’t remember now,
And I can feel the calmness of when
My hair jet black and thick, was plait
Left-over-middle-over-right
Falling down my back, each bump from
the root to the tip
Dwindles down
And
Reminds me of the inherited pain
That has trickled into my little life
Reminds me of the
Subjugation
Of a culture–
Broken and
diluted
Twice over;
First on the plantation
And again through the shame
Of the smell of coconut oil
And churail 1 hair.
Ashley Anthony ’22
- A churel, also spelled as churail, chudail or chudel is a female ghost of Indian folklore, well-known in North India and Pakistan. The word “churel” is also used colloquially for a witch. Women who die in childbirth or pregnancy due to the negligence of her relatives are often described turning into churels, who return to seek their vendetta and suck the blood of their male relatives. The churel is described to have a hideous and terrible appearance, however she appears in the devious disguise of a youthful, beautiful maiden to lure young men.
