Joan McBride
He liked Gillette Blades and
an every-day close shave.
Yet a bear-pelt of hair erupted
from his starched t-shirts and
beard-curls crawled en masse
from his earlobes like brain cilium.
On weekends I would often wake
to the staccato claps from his scared hands
slapping on Aqua Velva.
The morning routine:
shave, slap, cereal for breakfast,
off to work, full-shifts, seven days a week.
On rare vacation days,
dazed,
he shaved twice.
Clamor 