Haven’t replaced my lost brush, been using a little comb the last few weeks, except can’t give hair thorough brushing with this puny comb, and so instead of freeing up tangles, have been tying hair up in a bun or ponytail most days—but today left hair down for some reason (ah, what autumn weather will make you do), and having promised to send a story for writing group this afternoon, though still not even halfway finished, all of a sudden, and at first unconsciously, began to comb hair with fingers, starting at nape of neck and then twirling the staticky ends, and also raking hair from the crown of the head down past the shoulders, and crackling sounds escaped, and strands that had been untended for far too long fell away, I stopped for a moment to note this, then continued again, faster, wanting to shear off all excess hair, whatever came away in my hands shouldn’t have stayed on in the first place, odd how compulsions always arise when a deadline has come and gone, though this hair thing is a first.
UPDATE: I’m done! Of course the chapter has no ending, plus I did not do a final read to smooth grammatical tics, but I had to send it out. I’m not entirely sure about this piece, I mean I like it and I don’t, and when I’m not sure about a piece, I will take it apart until there’s no original piece left. Well, it’s 5:20 p.m., and I should, ah, finally do some work at the office . . .
2 Comments
October 15, 2007 at 8:35 pm
funny note: when you wrote “I’m done!” in your update–I thought, “She’s done combing her hair?!”
but honestly: i applaud you for finishing your chapter and taking it to workshop. keep on keepin’ on.
October 16, 2007 at 9:12 pm
The raking fingers through hair thing was a great visual image. I could imagine the level of concentration.