Hair Care
One bicycle outside, so he is not free.
Will return if full, I peep over the curtain.
Two in the queue, buried in magazines,
One in the seat, being serviced.
My turn. I take the seat; rest the glasses on the counter.
An apron wraps around me.
A strip of crepe paper coils tightly between the collar and the neck.
A fine spray wets everything.
The regular?
Yes, please. No fancy styles today.
He surveys the current state of the crop.
Yes, I agree. A bit unruly and overgrown.
I blame the unusually warm and humid weather.
It wasn't an experiment on carbon sequestration, no, no, no!
Clumps at the front get trapped and snipped.
They fall on the apron and roll down to the floor -
A sad end for the organic, fat-free, cholesterol-free nourishments.
256 shades of grey highlight cracks in cosmetic research.
A sigh joins the procession.
Various drones take turns to buzz me.
A thinning scissor, reminds me of my dental condition.
More pile up at my feet.
Final touches.
No, the hairs on my ears can stay.
Eyebrows need no cropping.
I am allergic to jells.
Thanks all the same.
The mandatory mirror hovers at the back.
I respond with the right gestures.
He is already making eye contact with the next specimen.
The till tings toll.
I check the time.
Nine minutes and thirty two seconds.
A record!
What the visitors say...
The poet's hair has thinned and he laughs at himself but he avoides the word,
'aging'. There is a tinge of sadness but the poet is mature enough to take it
with a poetic distance.
- Sunethra
Very nice!
How about:
- No, the hairs on (is "in" also possible in English?) my ears can stay
- stopping after "Nine minutes and thirty two seconds. A record!" ?
- Michel