In sev'ral weeks, it's time to shave my beard.
I planned it thus - the whiskers had a reason.
It's been a year since stubble first appeared;
I've grown it, looking forward to the season.
So doing, I had well-obscured my face,
And aged myself by years - a decent twenty.
I'd started from a very angry place,
And had to take some time, resolving plenty.
So I just let it grow and grow and grow.
It's like a warning sign for radiation:
BEWARE - THERE'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD REALLY KNOW
THIS ISOTOPE - TYPE MALE - IN SEPARATION.
I planned it thus - it's sort of a cocoon,
To give me time alone, so I could think;
To metamorphose - I'm emerging soon,
And even if my chances really stink,
The beard has worked, exceptionally well.
I've gotten back my balance. I can tell.
And one more thing, before it goes away:
I spent some time as Santa Claus today.
A portrait of me, by one of my favorites today.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Alysa Salzberg
Melissa Miles McCarter
Scarlett Sumac
jlsathre
Matt Paust
Jowita Bydlowska
Salon.com
Comments
Just to see
How I would look
As a mustached me.
It itched at first
With its first attempt.
Kind of scraggly
And ill kempt.
There is that hobo look
That presents some disgrace
Like a weed filled garden
Growing on one's face.
In time as hair length grew
It gained authority, respectability.
It flaunted maturity.
A flag of infallibility.
But then, perched on my upper lip
I found I was no Hitler, no Groucho Marx.
Instead, a sort of pushcart salesman.
A target for dog's barks
A few quick razor swipes
And off it went down the drain.
Dispatched into oblivion
Something not to try again.
and very fetching portrait santa!
the darker portrait, the one seeking for balance behind a mask
the screaming in the middle of the poem, beware indeed
but no matter how dark a place we are in, see, the mask served well and turned anger into delight
And what a lovely keepsake this artwork will become ... a little treasure that you can look back on and remember this time and the growth ... not only of a beard .... but also of you.
I am smiling for you ... and for Santa Claus.
heidibeth, isn't that a wonderful picture? She was a delightful kid - charming and talkative, fully aware that I wasn't Santa, but ready to ask me all kinds of questions anyway. Two brand-new grownup front teeth.
Oryoki, the original is on my desk. My daughter thinks it's wonderful.
Jan, oh gosh - I have had a mustache since 1973. The beard has come and gone, but the mustache has remained.
Antoinette, thanks. You possibly give me more credit than I deserve. But the plan is indeed the plan. I needed to withdraw for a while.
Pilgrim, well, we'll see in a few weeks, eh? And I wish I lived in Australia like our friends down under, where it wouldn't be so beastly cold to shave a beard off in January.
anna1, thank you. And yes indeed, time is a gift.
vanessa, well I wasn't really screaming. But radioactivity signs are so scary, you know? It seemed right.
Leon, KEEP the beard? It's like having upholstery on my face.
Midwest... and now?
pastvoices, it is the luxury of a beard - you can change your appearance (and youthen!) with a few strokes of the razor.
Kate... wrong! That red "hair" is my hat! I am bald, and my beard is nearly white. And yes, this picture is a very special little reminder.
catch, si tenia unos centavos para disfrutar... oh, well.
Moose, I promise to be intriguingly good-looking without the beard.
froggy, I have enjoyed the cocoon, and am ready to leave it behind.
Thanks everyone. I'm sorry I was so long in responding (I hope everyone does come back to read). I'm going to go write more responses, then post! Goodnight!