AN ODE TO MY BARBER

AN ODE TO MY BARBER

                          

He greets me warmly

at the door,

steers me

to the swivel chair,

asks about my health,

wraps me

in white cloth,

removes glasses

from my nose.

 

Not too much off the top;

It’s cold as hell out there.

 

I laugh at my own joke

for it’s a barren patch.

There’s little left to mow-

no need for clippers;

scissors slowly snip

and fuss

about my scalp,

as the soft sound of butterflies

dance through the air.

 

At times like this,

I would change my sex-

dream of bangs

that droop towards my nose,

perhaps a dome-like hive

to startle Freud,

black native braids

traced down my back,

corkscrew curls

that dangle like a lure

in the depths

of Veronica Lake,

one eye draped

in silken mystery

daring men

to draw near.

 

Fernando daubs and shapes

my mustache

with his brush,

rubs tonic

into strands on top,

anoints my brow

with talcum,

then pulls the cape

with flourish-"

sends me off

like a general

into war.

 

I attend

monthly-

my hair

a simple sacrament,

and I will need

this service

one last time

for hair grows

after death,

but even as he sweeps

those scattered

clusters

on the floor,

the threads

unite and intertwine

and grow again in mass.

Reviews

[Lisasview]

Interesting ride through your poem.. What are the quotes at the end of some words for? -"

[Mike Keenan]

Shouldn't be there. My punctuation seems to get screwed up when I transpose from my computer to this site. It's annoying. Will fix

[Lisasview]

Oh good I was wondering if this was something I never knew about..
Lisa

[Mike Keenan]

Seems that when I have employed the - (dash) it gets screwed up on this site.

[Lisasview]

okay,
Lisa

[rmarrwrites]

I enjoyed this a lot! I'm curious, what are the quotation marks for? Also, thanks for reminding me to book an appointment at a hairdresser's.

[Mike Keenan]

Shouldn't be there. My punctuation seems to get screwed up when I transpose from my computer to this site. It's annoying. Will fix