Michael's
The shop is crowded today
mostly boys
looking for a quick buzz-cut
men needing a trim.
It's always a comfortable place
the odd oasis of darker faces
in a contradictory desert.
It's like the good things I remember
about beauty parlors as a kid.
Old friends talking,
neighbors gossip
about this husband, that cousin,
banter with heart.
The part I hated, of course
was the minutes which seemed like
hours
that white cream put on my hair
so it would be good
would eat into my skull,
fingernails making
impressions on my palms.
That's over, now
I go to Michael's
for a quick buzz-cut
and a smile.