Spotted Fringes
January 16, 2008
Today I spotted fringes –
like children look for lost dogs –
saw them flashing flags like
unsewn napkins, spotted one –
serving beer behind a bar.
Saw one shoot with bang of gun,
slam of door, kick of car.
Saw one with a horse tail chop,
Kung Foo Hussle, Kill Bill Hack.
Watched another disappear,
weave like hair nets cross a pier
duck inside an office block.
One in a headband,
one in a scarf,
one in a nightclub,
one on a bus.
I like the ones that flutter –
lift and wave like stacks of grass
move in strands or pack in dense.
I like the ones that bend.
I like the ones that
fit the forehead in a line
like a tightropes curving skein.
I like it that they’re –
chopped savage,
hard to keep,
poker straight,
combed in teeth.
I like it that they graze lids.