I close my eyes as a young woman
massages in shampoo, gently rubs
my temples, smooths cream rinse —
scented with jasmine — from my brow,
and you are here with me again
that summer day under the waterfall.
– Sarah Russell
First published in Shot Glass Journal
Sarah Russell Poetry 
Stunning, Sarah. You’ve captured so much in so little space. Such strong and moving emotion. Love it 🙂
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Thanks a lot, Ryan.
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Beautiful how you so smoothly transpose into the waterfall
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Thanks, Ivor. It’s easy to go into reverie while someone washes your hair.
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This is incredibly exquisite, Sarah! ❤️
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Thanks, Sanaa.
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and instantly transported –
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Thanks, Beth. If men only knew how romantic it is to have your hair washed……… 🙂
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This is beautifully evocative!
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Good! That was the intention, Kerry. Thanks.
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I love where you broke the first line, “I close my eyes as a young woman”. The punctuation be damned; this is the gist of this poem — “…as a young woman.” You’ve set us up — to metaphor it, “Here’s the wind-up, and there’s the pitch.” Masterfully done.
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Oh Charley, you’re such a man!… Thanks! 🙂
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My point is that the way that sentence broke leads us to a memory…. I won’t say “foreshadowing” more like “fore-shading,” and anticipatory device.
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Ah, and here I thought… Thanks, Charley!
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Well, your original comment applies as well. I passed the physical a while ago! 🙂
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Hmmm, read those lines again, and I really see what you meant about the fore-shading in the first line. Thanks. I don’t know when I do stuff like that. Of course, if I planned it, it would sound lame, wouldn’t it.
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Nah! I think somewhere in your brain you planned it. Always take the blame for genius: “Uh, yeah… that’s was my thought… sure.” 🙂
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The imagery is so real and you take the reader to an unexpected place in the end. Well done!
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Thanks, Jilly.
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Beautifully done, Sarah. Loved the twist of those final two lines – not where I was expecting it to go at all!
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Thanks so much, Robert.
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Ah sweet–love the Proustian shampoo–all so well evoked! Thanks for the story in the few details. k.
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Thanks so much for stopping by, Karin.
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Oh, Sarah! What a glorious glimpse. I can smell the jasmine…
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Me too, Magaly. 🙂
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I love the ending of this. I can smell the water cascading past…
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Thanks, Toni.
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Ah, and was it the scent of jasmine that took you there? Wonderful, isn’t it, how scents can transport us!
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OH, how I love this poem. It is one of those short poems which has so much to say. Indeed one’s mind wanders as one is visiting the beautician. I like where your mind traveled…bringing to mind a special person & a special time!
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It’s just the best when your mind can travel like that, isn’t it, Mary — like a stolen memory.
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Reblogged this on days of stone and commented:
Another wonderful poem from my good friend, Sarah.
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How some moments can transport one from one reality to another realm! Beautifully evocative!
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It’s lovely when those moments happen, isn’t it.
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How one thing reminds us of another and scent is a great trigger of memory… wonderfully written in such few words.
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Some of my favorite childhood memories are scents.
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Oh! I was right there in the chair and then magically transported to the waterfall. Wow! I so loved this!
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Thanks so much, Sherry.
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What a gentle and soothing poem
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Thanks, Jae.
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Some hairdresser you got there 😉
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More the memory than the hairdresser. Thanks, Paul.
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Amazing what one scent can do for us…transport us to another place and time…magical!
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Thank you, Donna.
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Ooo so comfortable.. Calming..
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Thanks so much, Feifei.
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Very romantic. You need to take a French lover. He will wash your hair:)
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It’s a pity more men don’t understand those subtleties. Mine does though. 🙂
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Ah, the magical powers of ‘scent’. It truly can carry you back in time. A lovely, wonderfully rendered poem. Splendid it was ‘gifted with wings’ (as I have come to think of publication) by Shot Glass Journal.
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“Gifted with wings…” Love it! Thanks, Wendy.
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Love it! Both the immediate experience and the memory evoked.
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Thank you, Rosemary.
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What an evocative stanza. Well done Sarah!
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Thanks, Jade!
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Ah, beautiful lines here Sarah..
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Thanks, Maria.
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I hope to be similarly transported on Wednesday! There is something so relaxing about having your hair washed. I always want to have it last longer. Lovely poem, Sarah.
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Thanks, Sherry. I get my hair cut tomorrow, with accompanying shampoo. Heaven! And yes, it never lasts long enough.
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Oh my goodness. I love this. So brilliant!!
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Thanks, Mandy!
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