I took this photo of With-a-Why last weekend at camp. It’s a typical pose for him — black hoodie tied around his waist, head bent, hair in his face, so deep in thought that he’s oblivious to all around him. I often wonder when I look at him what thoughts are going through his teenage mind.
What I didn’t realize when I snapped the picture is that it would be the last photo of With-a-Why with such long hair. The next evening, just before starting tenth grade, he decided to cut his hair and donate it to a charity. The minimum length needed for a donation is ten inches, and his hair, which he hadn’t cut in four years, was plenty long enough.
I took him to haircut place where the women on staff exclaimed over his dark silky hair, and bound it into little pony tails that they snipped off. His hair is still longish – it touches his shoulders – but he looks way different. I can see his face.
He looks taller, somehow, and older. That shy little boy is disappearing fast.
