Back in 1984 when it was not the style,
I accidentally dyed my hair navy blue.
Walked into the beauty school.
They screamed with laughter.
This is what you get for dying your own hair.
Can you get rid of it? I asked them.
They asked why I had let it stay on so long.
When I could see in the mirror what it was doing.
I did not bother to watch it developing.
I am a writer, not a freaking hairdresser.
And certainly not a professor of hair dye.
They had to shave my head.
Also not common for women in 1984.
Maybe I was forty years ahead of my time.
I got ostracized and ridiculed for that too.
By everyone but my husband who was silent.
He is no fool.
He knew who had access to his toothbrush.
Submerged in the depths of my despair,
I ponder: What shade to dye my hair?
Red like April? Black like Cher?
Yellow’d; to match my underwear?
No that’s just silly.
But then, Slick Willy,
Adopted a salt and pepper shade.
It got him elected! It got him laid!
But I’ll eschew his precedent.
I’ve no wish to be President…
A festive blonde hue, I would try it
If but I had some hair, to dye it.
Of my once thick locks remains no follicle.
Nor wisp, nor hank, nor strand, nor molecule.
No colors can the stylist bring,
Oh dyeing’s not an easy thing.
Oh bother I look like a badger
and I do not have any hair dye,
But I’ve discovered the perfect product
on its coverage you can always rely
It’s a temporary spray on hair colour
believe me it really is a godsend
as my hairdressers closed cos of covid
and it’s driving me right round the bend!
I shake the can for about 30 seconds
as the mixture’s in need of a mix
then spray it onto my grey parting
my hair’s fixed in a couple of clicks!
If your hair‘s in-between a colour
please take notice of my handy tip
buy a spray on temporary colour
to remove your silver landing strip!
For my sweet on line friend Sundae
05/19/20
Sue peers in the mirror with fright
Her parting’s a terrible sight
On top of her head
A badger - it’s dead
Sue must use some hair dye tonight!
She’d applied hair dye carefully
Grey hairs Sue can no longer see
All the grey is now brown
She no longer feels down
And styles her hair prettily
04/28/20
If truth be told, I’m getting old
my hair is streaked with grey
I cannot lie, I use hair dye
To banish the greys away
9/15/18
another birthday
how quickly the years fly by
I colour my grey!
01/25/18
dyeing my hair brown
I think of my youthful days
pushing wild limits
rosy girls and fine liquor blessed ---
as twilight years fade
Traditional Tanka 25th May 2016
Contest by Charlotte Jade Puddifoot
we have gain
the hate pain
and race thing
is about to change
the people spoke
by the vote
it hope
so don't be a doke
am not lyeing
racist is
DYEING
A
blue day
sadly,Greeks
had no word for
it-
'til
one dye
'eureka'
from beyond the
sea-
a
lapsis
lazuli,
ultramarine..
sheen !
As I lay dyeing, I spoke your name.
I asked where you were but you never came.
Would you care if I died?
Would you sit and cry?
or move on without a tear? Some things I'll never know,
As I lay dyeing.