And I aspire to that, a cap
of milk-colored curls close
on the skull, a bit flaring out
at the back like a giggle.
Each wreath of strands lies
exactly right. I wouldn’t edit
a single one. I’d like to fill
workshops too, or at least
my living room with friends
smart and funny as hers.
I’d like to keep the same
friends, the same living room,
the same hair though I’m sure
she’s had to cut it and grow it back,
cut it and grow it back,
a steadiness under scissors
I haven’t learned to wear yet.
Ellen Bass Has Great Hair
Originally from the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, Hilary King is a poet now living in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Her poems have appeared in Ploughshares, TAB, Salamander, Belletrist, Fourth River, and other publications. Her book Stitched on Me was published by Riot in Your Throat Press in 2024. She loves hiking, travel, and ribbon.