COULD BE

Photo/collage by S. Auberle

Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair

shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen...

~ from the musical "Hair"

The dark-haired woman

offers a pouch:

draw a rune, she says,

and meditate on its meaning

then you will unlock

the secret of life.

From the sack I pick a piece of wood

on it, three waves intertwine.

The woman looks at it, puzzled,

unable to interpret.

She searches the shop,

the dusty books and papers,

beneath a golden Buddha statue.

I continue dreaming

curious to know the answer

but the woman can't find it

so I sit on a cushion

and braid my hair, the locks

silken and heavy in my hands.

His coiled curls gleaming

Buddha smiles...

- mimi