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Shampoo
by
Anita S. Pulier


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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.


Anita S. Pulier is a retired attorney who, many years ago, traded legal writing for poetry. She and her husband, Myron, pursue a bi-coastal life between New York City and Los Angeles, where they are daily hikers in the NYC parks and the Santa Monica mountains. Anita has been very involved in the Southern California poetry community and, recently, even Myron (a retired psychiatrist) has taken up poetry! Anita’s poems have appeared in numerous print and online journals and her work is included in nine print anthologies. The author of multiple collections, her most recent is Paradise Reexamined. Learn more about Anita at http://psymeet.com/anitaspulier/main/index.php.

                        

 

 

 


Post New Comment:
marenomitchell:
What a subtle, yet strong, love poem.
Posted 02/04/2012 11:31 AM
Judith Heron:
Judith Heron: What a surprising and tender love song. Wonderful!
Posted 02/04/2012 10:45 AM
dotief@comcast.net:
My mother used to "Toni Perm" me once every few months. I would cringe when I saw the box in amongst the groceries. I was soon to be frizzed to the max and constantly running from friends who were sure to make a joke. How is it we women can be so seduced by the promises of labels? Which is why some of us have such troubles with men, I suppose. Great poem!
Posted 02/04/2012 08:36 AM
Katrina:
How fortunate!
Posted 02/04/2012 08:23 AM


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