Reaction in Copper

Ludwik Misky, A girl plaiting her hair, 1916.  Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/PublicDomain.

Anamnesis

She watches.  A defiant glare.

She sighs, and then she pulls more hair

into the burnished copper braid.

She should be scared; she’s not afraid.

Some light streaks through a window slat

illuminating ginger plait

which shows one tendril'd lock has strayed.

She should be scared; she’s not afraid.

She brushes back the errant strand,

then glances at her empty hand

which soon will grasp a smallish blade.

She should be scared; she’s not afraid.

And with a swipe, that auburn tress

falls to the floor. “Let them obsess

about the one who disobeyed.
She should be scared; she’s not afraid.

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Notes:  Form: Kyrielle.  The poem was inspired by the above artwork.  When I first saw it, I thought that the girl in the picture was wary and very much wanted freedom, even if it came with a cost.  From that, she decided that the only way to get to that good and safe place would be to cut off her beautiful hair.