There was a little girl that had a little curl
right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good, she was very, very good
And when she was bad, she was horrid.
-Nursery rhyme
coarser – its texture somehow thicker yet thinner
straight as the proverbial board most days
unless the deep southern summer humidity
ties it in the memory of brown ringlets
the first time it was licensed –
the girl behind the counter
changed the designation
(no longer chestnut brown
with gay auburn highlights,
luscious chocolate velvet
deep and soulful)
saying “I call ‘em like I see’ em.”
the end of that identity
clouds of tarnished silver linings
pewter and iron, steeled locks
brushed nickel
and mercury dimes
in the fogged, foxed mirror
she was once very, very good
and happily horrid
when the occasion merited
and still can conjure up a curl or two
when the mood suits her
thecourseofourseasons 
Devilishly cute self-portrait! The last stanza wraps up the curls nicely.
thanks so much for dropping by and commenting – appreciate it so much! K
ha- fun twist on this rhyme…my mom used to repeat it to me when I was young as well…i really liked your second to last stanza especially…cool piece!
this made me smile… my mom used to quote that rhyme to me often… i loved the way you used it as a jumping off point, and the metaphor of hair has so much that we can all relate to. Just lovely.
ha smiles… those curls have a mind of their own – just like little girls have… and we grown ups as well…smiles
How fun and yet how real the story behind it. I like how you chose one physical attribute to tell a story of your life.
love the underlying impishness – I can just picture the girl with the curl and the woman she becomes 🙂
I want one of those ‘/fogged/foxed mirrors/ for the one have lets me “see clearly now”. Your lovely sketch of you was fun to experience, great to share; thanks.
ha….can still conjure up a curl….smiles…i like your play on the nursery rhyme in that last stanza….and is it our identity that changes or just the frosting of it…ha
I bet you can when the mood sits you ~ I have this curl lock in front too, & it has a mind of its own~ Enjoyed this drawing of you Kathleen, smiles ~