April Woody
The Stylist
In the 1940s, when my mother was about six years old, a traveling show came to town. The main attraction was a ring where men could box a chimpanzee. Wearing their Sunday best, the whole family attended. After watching several men from the community spar with the chimp, my mother got to meet the animal up close. Inside the enclosure, the little girl and the chimpanzee eyed each other. He began to gently touch her hair, untying ribbons, teasing out bobby pins, one by one.
southern breeze
a dandelion tuft
scales the fence
Note: A “stylist” is a boxer with more focus on skill and technique than power.
About the Author
April Woody is a poet living in Virginia. She enjoys exploring various forms and loves the magic created by the elements of the haibun. Her work appears or is upcoming in anthologies published by the Wee Sparrow Poetry Press, contemporary haibun online, drifting sands haibun, The Pan Haiku Review, and The Ekphrastic Review.