Hair Today Gone Tomorrow...

She was pretty once,
Deep set eyes, the chiselled nose,
Pointed chin, lovely as a rose,
But that’s not the first thing you noticed about her,
They fell at her hip,
Swaying when she swayed,
A curtain of darkness against her dusky skin,
Plaited in summer,
In winter they were free,
Ogled, envied,
Charmed, where ever they went,
Such was the grandeur of her silky hair.

Oh, care she took of the crowning glory
The hot oil massaged the scalp,
Grandma’s long brush strokes gave them life,
She ate well,
Knowing, nourishment flows to the root,
Every day like a prayer,
The water that cleansed her soul,
Also cleansed her hair.

On her journey from a girl to a woman,
Every season,
They were grazed, chopped, experimented upon,
Colours, chemicals, commuting and pollution,
Work, stress and not to forget men,
Finally took the sheen off...

Adulthood comes at a heavy cost.
The beautiful face still stares back,
The deep set eyes, the chiselled nose,
But that’s not the first thing you notice about her,
They were ‘hair’ yesterday.

In desperation, she tries them all,
The fake TV ads, the false promise of attractive bottles,
But none soothe the frayed strands,
Lies are sold at a high price,
And then,
And then she stumbled upon Dove,
Nursed to life,
They now frame her face,
That’s the first thing you notice about her,
In Dove, at last, she has found true love...