28 July

sometimes people talk about
life-changing, an adjective
adj. : describes an event, usually, that changes your life. suddenly.
as if things happen to make your life
suddenly
different

I suppose life-changing moments
occasionally occur
like getting your hair cut
when it was very long
so that it is very short

suddenly. you look different.
and then in the mirror,
you're looking differently,
over and over again, you see
reacquainting yourself with the reflection
which was to begin with, a twisted view of reality

but then the time muddles
as time goes
and your haircut happened a week ago
and your memories are pre-haircut
or post-haircut, but you're not sure which
you can't remember if the person you
talked to on Thursday at 2:38 pm saw your hair
short or long

as if this fact is important
as if they were talking to a different person
as if the short-haired you
is essentially altered
like an almost-you, but a not-quite-you

then you think back to the actual haircut
trying to memorize how it felt when you saw
pieces of your hair falling to the ground
things once attached to you
swept away and disposed of,
but all you can remember is numbness
and the emotional color
is thoroughly grey

but it was very life-changing