A prominent free black woman who lived before the age of emancipation, Marie Laveaux was a respected voodoo priestess, hairdresser, and philanthropist.
Your prompt is MARIE LAVEAUX.
Queen of New Orleans
Coiffed and poised, signifying
She is everything
She and her French common law husband also owned slaves during their lives together. Some evidence points to Marie as assisting in the Underground Railroad, but it is far from clear. Read more here, if you’re interested.
You do the voodoo
High priestess casts spells to tame
Unruly tresses
Laveaux washes hands of st Maroon.
Temps fate, but profit takes
Underground rails track’s hidden
Knocks on wood open doors good luck.