2001/studying

Watching a middle-
aged woman,
studying her hair
cut and style.
Something I am
always doing
these days.
Trying to understand
how to be my age.
A hairdo I would never
wear. Cropped short.
The kind of cut athletic
women wear.
Women who need
quick-drying, easy-
combing coifs.
I need easy too,
simple but not
sporty.
But I can’t seem
to get it right.

This woman is
comfortably herself,
belted jeans and suede
lace-up, sporty shoes
with a hounds-tooth
blazer.
Unlike the lady
at the next table
with brittle, dyed
red hair
and double chin.
The sporty woman
is across the great
divide of middle-age
and understands
where she is.
The red head
and I are floundering
still.

7/20/01