I am stuck in the shampoo aisle.
The aisle is Olympic in size.

I read the promises on the labels
oily hair, curly hair, dry hair,
split ends, frizzy hair, all promising
transformation, one into the other.

Oh! How clearly I recall the girl
who believed these labels,
trusted them, allowed her frizzy mane
to be offered up as a willing sacrifice.

And then I met you
and somewhere along the way
I switched to shampoo
that made no promises.

Shampoo for normal regular
whatever is on your head hair.
Now, so many shampoos
later, as I suds up

my hair curls in gratitude
to whatever it was that you saw
so many years ago
when you decided to stay.

© by Anita S. Pulier. 
Used with the author’s permission.