Then


She’s standing still 

pale as England, 

slim and serious

as I stood 

then.

Hair chopped 

above her shoulders

with a little curl allowed

as mine was 

then.

A little curl allowed,

in memory of it’s ringlets

earlier than

then.

Then it grew longer 

and we pulled it straight.

So now, it’s more like it was 

before then.

Before then, 

when

it was longer still,

and ironed straight

under thick brown paper.

It had been shorter still before

then

it’s feminine length curtailed, but

with a little curl allowed,

a reminder of it’s ringlets earlier than

then.

Of it’s earlier hated ringlets

grown  from loose curls.

Ringlets cut 

when 

father died.

Not until

then.



https://ephemeralelegies.com/2020/12/02/then-by-lynn-white/



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Photo Opportunity I watched the man crossing the path underneath the cascade of the waterfall. It had been part of the route wine was carried from the high lands, to be sold on the coast. Back in the old days, that was. But the old days weren’t very long ago. He seemed confident as he placed a foot carefully in each of the footholds hacked into the precipitous rock face. He gripped the thick metal hawser attached to the rock with strong metal rings. Gripped it firmly and proceeded slowly one step at a time. I had a camera and I thought that it was a picture he would like to have when he was dry and safe back on terra firma. Then I thought, suppose he falls, falls into the waves, to be smashed against the rocks far below. I didn’t want to have such a picture, a picture of someone’s last moments and I thought, to take it may jinx his journey and even cause him to fall. So I never took the picture. But it made no difference. The man fell anyway. https://coldrambler.blogspot.com/2024...
Read more
Image
  Frog She looked into the pond where the frog, sitting on a lily pad looked back at her alert   its eyes meeting hers. She remembered the story about a frog, how it became a prince when kissed. She thought of the sleeping beauty and how she awoke to the kiss of a prince. So, it seemed that kisses and princes must have some connection. The frog was very still. She thought it may be   still enough to kiss but she couldn’t quite reach though she tried and tried and tried while the frog stayed there still waiting.   And then it spoke. “I’m no prince,” it said. “But I’ll come closer, I’d still like a kiss.” https://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/
Read more
Image
  Family History It’s all about connections. If we can only find them we can all find our dynasty we can all trace our family back to it’s royal beginnings see their place in that dynasty through their connections. If we can only find them we can all be back there then. https://cajunmuttpress.wordpress.com/2024/04/05/cajun-mutt-press-featured-writer-04-05-24-2/ If we can only make them we can all be there now.
Read more