Ford, Rosemary

English

University of Washington: UW Tacoma Digital Commons

83My first love had a head-full of cornrowsIntertwined naps which some girl(who wasn’t me)Wove neatly against his skullWhile he sat on a stoop Between her thighsPointer finger downMiddle finger upPointer finger downMiddle finger upI spent fifty minutes a dayFive days a weekAt his left sideWhere if mine weren’t the fingersWhich planted the rows in his hairNor the thighs he rested betweenMy breath was that which vibratedBamboo vocal cordsCoaxing sound and languageFrom a brass diaphragmSpeaking Latin jazz & grown folks’ bluesWhen Cosmetology and Music CollideROSEMARY FORD84Crescendo upDiminished fourth downGlissando upLip slur downHe cut his hairLeaving behind evenings withThat girlAnd her stoopAnd her thighsHe said he misses itSometimesBut hair grows backCrops can be replantedI imagine he misses me at his left sideAll the timeUnder his armNear his heart Like Adam, had God excised a ribAnd not given him Eve in return.

When Cosmetology and Music Collide

https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=tahoma_west

When Cosmetology and Music Collide

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University of Washington: UW Tacoma Digital Commons