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Humming hands hover over snaking hair. It is—ebony—oil
slick—midnight sky—raven-feathered. I watch it flutter to the
ground in cascades, spreading like wings upon hitting the tiled
floor. Behind me sunlight beams through the window, spilling
onto the chair and dusting my hair in a honeyed glow. The light
dissolves it into the jet black salon cape, which is made
of—fragrances —shampoo—clean hair—soap.
Hair dryer hisses at jagged hair. A hair brush
wielded in one hand tussles at tangles with the
dryer close behind, fisted in the other hand. They
beat the snarls into obedience and they fall
reluctantly around my face. Face frames, the
stylist called it. I am a canvas and my hair
is the border—between scalp and silken strokes of
ink. Girl Sitting in Hair Salon, mixed medium.
Face frames, the stylist said, but
Hair pools around the salon chair. The mirror
frames the hairpool. Each strand of hair is a
harpoon. Scraped to a point and deadly. The mirror is a
tapestry of hair quills woven together. I imagine that the
chair is made of hair too and that I am made of hair. A
sculpture fashioned out of modeling hair and
malleable canvas. It grows every year—knotting and
twisting into clusters of flowering
ravels. Until one day a pair of hopeful eyes
unravels—or ravels—or evaporates—it
and it drips out the mirror.
Hot drops of melted hair sizzle on the floor. The stylist brushes away stray ringlets of sable blackness, liquifying as they flutter to the ground, spreading like wings. I glance at my reflection—my hair is—ebony—oil slick—midnight sky—raven-feathered. It is—warm black paint—and I am a canvas.
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Haeun (Regina) Kim is a student writer hailing from Seoul, South Korea. She draws inspiration from her cultural surroundings and personal experiences to craft narratives that resonate with authenticity and emotional depth. Regina's writing explores themes of identity, belonging, and the human condition, reflecting her curiosity about the world and her desire to connect with others through storytelling. When she's not writing, you can find her reading on her couch or struggling through amateur ballet.
