She wanted me to braid her hair
I sat up in bed and began to braid
A single blonde braid down the
Back of her head and she needed
To find her friend so she left
I followed her out to wait
And found a very attractive man
Laying on a couch on the porch
Outside, asking if I could share
His space with him laughing he
Obliged I couldn’t remember the
Last time I laid on a couch
With a stranger and somehow
I felt like I had known parts of him
His story flashing a little before my
Eyes of his home and one of
His lovers kissing him outside
On the front lawn though I had
Never visited I remembered being
When she returned she brought
Me three nicely folded pairs
Of jeans and a pile of one dollar
Bills some torn and some folded
As I tried to count the money
I realized I wasn’t finished with
Her hair she had unbraided it
And she was happy and glowing
She said I needn’t finish, that we
Had completed it and she liked
It as I helped count through the
Money to determine a charge
I was distracted by some peacock
Feathers on the wall that I began
To braid underneath as one would
French not Dutch and you could
See the glimmer of the multifaceted
Colors clamoring back into
My eyes reflecting a myriad of
So many experiences as I
Finished the owner of the café
Walked by, and I saw my friend
Timmie whom it had been so…
…many many years I embraced her and asked her how she was.
She cried a bit and said
You don’t remember me you
Have forgotten me all these years
And I reminded her that it wasn’t
True that I had sent cards and letters
Thinking of her often her tears
Began to dry and her face changed
A bit and we both realized that
We didn’t know one another at all
And in fact we were new friends
I looked a way as her face had shifted again
As I turned back her skin had gotten
Much darker and she looked very
Different in fact her entire person had
Changed to he who was French perhaps
Caribbean or African I wasn’t sure
But I was excited to make their
Acquaintance he said in an accent
“Maybe your friend doesn’t speak
French haha!” He looked at me with
Small eyes pushed close together
And two tiny gold teeth in front
With crosses on them standing
Out a bit almost buck-like
I couldn’t contain my excitement
I said, “Tu parle le français?!!”,
And put my hand out to him
Enchanté ! He observed me without
Speaking and turned half of his
Face away and I exclaimed, “D’accord!”
Only if to say, you don’t want to know
Me?? Well fine then… twisting away
I ended up back at the table counting
The ones to give back to the girl
Who had taken out her single braid
Happily enjoying her wavy hair
Which was now also multicolored
As she lay on her stomach with her chin
Lightly placed over folded hands patiently
Waiting to receive whatever amount
I had come up with the number
Forty-five kept ringing back to me
As it were I was satisfied with any
Number or no number of bills
Overall the experience was
Plenty enough to afford the beginning
© GÄ
Poétique 