Getting the head
Shorn with a blade,
Hairless to the touch
And smooth, was how
Kenyan and Tanzanian
Maasai men historically
Prepared for battle
Against approaching hostile
Nearby tribes. Nowadays,
Maasai women strip
Themselves of wooly hair
For cleanliness and
Drawing the straying
Male eye to her.
As an African man

In America, applying
A good razor
To my stubbly
Scalp, lathered in
Thick white cream,
Backward and forward
Before the bathroom mirror
Over a face-bowl

Keeps the creeping
Ravages of grey
From settling in
All too soon—

My face,
All sharp corners
And high cheek-bones,
Receives the same treatment.

My ritual
Wards off age
For the time being.
Youth and
Cleanliness maintained by razor strokes.

This is me
In warrior mode
Preparing for battle
Against encroaching hostile
Western society.

# # #

Dee Allen is an African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California. Active on the creative writing & Spoken Word tips since the early 1990s. Author of 3 books, Boneyard, Unwritten Law and Stormwater and 15.5 anthology appearances, including “Rise” and “Your Golden Sun Still Shines”, to name a couple under his figurative belt so far. He is in the process of producing his upcoming 4th volume of poetry, set to be released in February 2019.

Photo:  Quinten de Graaf