As smooth as water falling
Drifting downward to its end
Pooling below
Ever moving,
Flowing.
Sliding through hands like crystal raindrops
Fingers weaving in and out
Cool and smooth
Colors of nature
In mist a shade of grey.
Silver slices through cleanly
The snip and clip shorn smooth
Flesh uncovered,
rounded rightly by mothers hands at birth
Naked splendor.
Years passing
Shifting brown to silver hues threaded through
Silk strands run down into a soft pile
Pooled at the feet
Pushed aside and forgotten.
Once given freely now returned whole,
Supple braid hangs proudly.
Cancer not allowed to win.
Thoughts on how when young my hair has changed, self induced and nature induced, woven with grey. Shaved completely bald by choice when cancer struck and refused to cover my round orb of a head. Now grown back in, brown still streaked with silver, wrapped into a braid….memories for this piece.
And now for today’s (optional) prompt! Today, I challenge you to write a poem in which you closely describe an object or place, and then end with a much more abstract line that doesn’t seemingly have anything to do with that object or place, but which, of course, really does. I think of the “surprise” ending to this James Wright Poem as a model for the effect I’m hoping you’ll achieve. An abstract, philosophical kind of statement closing out a poem that is otherwise intensely focused on physical, sensory details. Happy writing!
