// If I’m buggin cause my check is late, the mortgage is past due, and there are no groceries in the refrigerator, I’m gonna tell him the truth.//

If I need him to hold me at night cuz sometimes the past is too much and the future is uncertain, I’m gonna tell him that too. Independence is one thing but fear is another. Fear will make ya front like superwoman every time. Pretending to be totally self-sufficient is a helluva lot easier than handling your vulnerability to a man who might drop the ball. But since carrying it on my own has damn sure wore me out, I’m gonna take a chance and TRUST somebody. What’s the worst that can happen? At this stage in the game, me and Heartache are close enough to know it might hurt like a motha but it damn sure won’t kill me. If some fool drops the ball, I’m just gonna pick my shit up, dust it off, and hand it to the man who can carry it.

• Joan Morgan, “When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost”