"Pairs of Things"

 

 

Day 15 of 30: Global Poetry Writing Month and National Poetry Writing Month

   

 

 

 

Since today marks the half-way point of the GloPoWriMo challenge, today's NaPoWriMo prompt asks us to write a poem that has as its theme the idea of doubles: mirrors or things that come in pairs. 

 

I always notice pairs, whether in nature or in urban settings. I also have the natural tendency, the compulsion, to photograph pairs. I have enough "pairs of things" photos to fill a book.

 

I used one of my "pairs of things" photos ("World Trade Beauty Salon" ) as a prompt for this poem.

 Photo: ©2015 Kat Shamash  

"World Trade Beauty Salon" 

 

  

 

 

"Pairs of Things"

 

coffee cups and the red shoes

the way that each pair lifts

our spirits like

the beauty salon

 

two glasses of red wine and then

hair dye: a blue streak

like the ink on your back,

the set of wings

that nobody sees

but God

 

the pair of scissors, the brush

two chrome chairs that swivel,

dual merry-go-rounds for

living non-stop

 

platinum blond, nose ring, tat --

not the cape dress,

not the hair bun,

not the covering, covering, covering

of our kin

 

it was always like this

with women

 

all of us, soul-weary

trying to help each other

mend our broken

hearts

by new looks

in another mirror

 

the other

pair of eyes

looking back

 

 

© Kat Shamash, April 15, 2016

Comments

[De Jackson(WhimsyGizmo)]

I simply love this.
Love this image:
"the set of wings

that nobody sees

but God"

[judy Dykstra-Brown]

Funny. Just yesterday I took a series of photos of a hair salon. I really like your poem, Kat. You take a seemingly superficial process deeper. An intriguing poem.