Carol Kanter         

Mourning Ritual
Third Prize 2007 Poetry Contest

Masaai men grow long hair
dye it burnt red as iron-laden earth
braid and loop it into manes
and top it off
with strands of colored beads.

But when a family member dies
a man shaves off his mane
to show the world
he suffers loss.

After weeks
fuzz forms, in months
kinks appear, but it takes years
for hair to grow out long.
 
He combs through memories
awaits the slow pomade
of time. But his hair —
its pristine texture —
will never be the same again.