when I brush my teeth,
in the same way
I close them
at the hairdresser's.
Blind to distractions,
I relish the pleasing primp,
full mute sweep,
a coiffure of the mouth.
Lies, grinds, loves
confessed, roots rinsed
in a minty makeover,
eyes closed over the sink,
pink toothbrush posed.
willow, 2010
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Guess I'm just a voyuer at heart. I warch while I brush. Never thought about making the encounter as sensual as you have made yours.
ReplyDeleteA "coiffure of the mouth"...I have never thought of brushing my teeth that way, but I like it. Clever.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you close your eyes to brush, it never occurred to me. Being very myopic taking my classes off at the hair dresser always made me nervous because I couldn't see what was happening. Then one visit when I had been rushing and was very tired I closed my eyes, drifted off for maybe five minutes -- and came away with a boy's short, short cut that I very much did NOT want. Never again!
ReplyDeleteYou should see if you can get your hairdresser to brush your teeth. ;)
ReplyDeleteJeff, ah, now THAT's an idea!
ReplyDeleteJune, you have to be very trusting of your hairdresser to relax and close your eyes! I close my eyes at the dentist, too. Am I weird?
ReplyDeleteOnce more people read this the dentist is going to go bankrupt! You have shown in your eloquence of words how simple things can mean so much. They truly are therapy. Lovely Magpie. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh you have to be very careful if you close your eyes at the hairdressers. An elderly lady sitting at the booth next to me did just that and she didn't open them again ....an ambulance was called. I was told at my next hairdressing appointment that she had a 'turn' and was ok after that!
ReplyDeleteSo go careful out there ;-)
I close my eyes too when I brush...
ReplyDeleteIt is a deep concentration
but as far as the hair goes...my beautician talks too much to escape...but I get it
and you said it well
It might seem like a insignificant subject to write a poem but it is important to brush. Haha. thanks
ReplyDeleteYes, Willow, I brush my teeth with my eyes closed too. It's better to concentrate. I brush in a very set pattern. Bach says I'm somewhat of a brushing fanatic : ) Dental hygiene is very important.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous teethbrushing experience...bravo Willow!
ReplyDelete- Dina
What a lovely way of visioning the Art of Brushing Ones Teeth....splendid Magpie....bkm
ReplyDeleteI close my eyes at the dentist and while I wash my hair but never to brush my teeth. Will give it a go this evening, just for fun and because your words are so inspiring.
ReplyDeleteYou capture the subtle unseen poetry in the simplest mundane things. Nice willow.
ReplyDeleteOnly you could make oral hygiene poetic...AND SO YOU DID!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for running that little test for me at TKR.
Interesting thoughts here. Hmm -- I don't close my eyes -- but I don't watch either. I usually have an open book propped on the sink. I'm slowly making my way through UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN just now.
ReplyDeleteI close my eyes when I brush my teeth, mostly because the sight of toothpaste foaming out of my mouth makes me gag. And at the dentist, for relaxation, and so nothing spatters in my eyes (yes, they give us goggles now, but it's an old habit). And when the front of my hair is being cut. Not very romantic, but true.
ReplyDeleteI thought of a tootbrush at first but I never thought of the foam! Interesting idea. I watch myself brush. Usually the me in the mirror remembers nooks and crannes the closed-eye brusher might omit!
ReplyDeleteMy, my ... I thought I was the only person who didn't look at myself while brushing. And horror of horrors, I don't watch while my hair is being cut and set. As always, wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI like the "coiffure of the mouth" idea. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI have never, ever had a poem make my mouth feel fresh and minty just from reading it.
ReplyDeleteWitchcraft!
amazing how simple things can be so wonderful..what an enjoyable read...!
ReplyDeleteDear Willow, What an absolutely splendid, original opening line which draws one into the poem which then has one spellbound. I do so very much enjoy your poems - always so refreshingly different.
ReplyDeleteWillow,
ReplyDeleteYou always amaze me!
"a coiffure of the mouth."
I didn't realize that I too close my eyes when brushing. I used to at the barber, but the girl cutting my hair was too talkative, so I told her to shave my head and haven't returned. ;)
rel
I read you poem a couple of times and then I closed my eyes and tried to remember some of the words: eyes, brush, teeth, hairdresser's, primp, coiffure, toothbrush. :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Many thanks.
Greetings from London.
Never thought of closing my eyes when I brush.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your Magpie.
"Lies, grinds, loves
ReplyDeleteconfessed". Wash your mouth out, you naughty girl, and listen to your mother!
You make an everyday chore come alive with your words. Indeed therapeutic.
ReplyDeleteCJ xx
Dear Willow, I love your funny poetry & your blog & your kind comments on my blog!! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteAgneta, the swedish one ;)
Lovely words Willow (I will get back to Magpie soon, I promise)
ReplyDeleteIf there's a mirror there, Willow, one just HAS to look in it! Don't think I could do it with my eyes closed. Fun poem!
ReplyDeletei never really thought of it, but you are so right. the trans-formative effect of a good tooth brushing is divine.
ReplyDeleteplus, i love getting my hair styled, even it isn't a major makeover, it feels great!
When I brush my teeth, I use an electric toothbrush and walk around the house opening up the drapes and moving my book from the top of the bed headboard from the previous night and do little chores like that so I will brush my teeth longer. So, is that weird?
ReplyDeleteYou made this such a sensual experience...at first I was unsure and then as I thought about it I realized I too close my eyes when I brush. This morning I made a point to keep them open lol. Spledid little Magpie.
ReplyDeleteA coiffure of the mouth, eh?
ReplyDeleteYou are so good!
Never thought of closing my eyes when cleaning my teeth willow, but I always do at the hairdressers - in fact I always tell her to wake me up if I fall asleep - I find the whole exercise so relaxing.
ReplyDeleteLove the imagery...I lie on my bed, eyes closed and brush my teeth...like a massage for my mouth...really
ReplyDeleteYou manage to make even the simple act of brushing teeth into a symphony of words. Now that takes talent ... and a beautiful way of seeing the world. You're a gift, Willow.
ReplyDeletelove the poetry...you got it going on!
ReplyDeleteCute, Willow--brush away! AND it's good for you!
ReplyDeleteAlways close eyes at the hairdresser, and will now try it with the brushing. You are just too clever :) Love this poem.
ReplyDeleteClosing ones eyes softly for a few minutes or more can be very introspective or meditative. My favorite place to do this is in an old Amish rocker that contains deep memories. -- barbara
ReplyDeleteBWAH HA HA HA That Jeffscape! Ask your hairdresser to brush your teeth. That one had me laughing out loud.
ReplyDelete"coiffure of the month"... now that made me stop and think about it. And you're right!
Enjoyed it. Perhaps next time I brush my teeth I'll do it with my eyes closed. Just hope I don't drop my dentures.
I love it! The lines pop and sing, and what a unique writing idea. As a brushing fanatic, I can completely relate to the therapy. Awesome title!
ReplyDeleteYou add a great twist with the last stanza:
"Lies, grinds, loves
confessed, roots rinsed..."
I love how you combine the literal act with the metaphor of brushing away the bad things in life, like lies, etc.
The mouth is a very sensual part of our body. Using a "pink" toothbrush at the end is a great detail. Please excuse my over-analysis. I get excited by poetry. Wonderful work!
a lovely feminine touch on this subject matter. amazing!
ReplyDeleteWell...I don't look at myself when I floss. And there are other times also...I guess--grin!
ReplyDelete(Two more words and you'd have had a "55" also, a Magpie-55 combo!
For my own 55 GO HERE
A lovely little ritual poem. Very telling.... of what I don't know!
ReplyDeleteI stare at myself with my eyebrows raised high in surprize for some reason!
Eyes closed and dreaming while in the hairdresser's chair. Priceless!!!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Eileen
Obviously to an artist everything is an inspiration!!
ReplyDeleteBlind to distractions... that's the way we should do most things in life.
ReplyDeletelovely poem.
loveNlight
Gabi
Oooooh, A minty makeover, a coiffure of the mouth. Love this, each and every tooth of it!
ReplyDeleteYou have a power over words that really does make each of your poems a gem, and this one is certainly no exception. It evokes such imagery, such emotion...this was a delight to read, Willow :)
ReplyDeleteI once closed my eyes at the hair salon, and fell into a light sleep.
ReplyDeleteI woke up to find myself sporting a crew-cut! Youch.
Your prose continues to be sublime, Wills.
Oh NO NOT pink toothbrush! Love your poem and I understand about closing eyes...feeling is enhanced.
ReplyDeleteI like how it implies you brush your teeth to cleans all the bad things your mouth has said.
ReplyDeleteEyes wide open at the bathroom sink & the Hairdresser's - doesn't pay to do otherwise!
ReplyDeleteMillie ^_^
Yes Willow, I know.... you are the patina master ;)
ReplyDeleteLove
Agneta
Willow: Finding these ritual moments; like brushing the teeth, or going to get one's hair washed at the salon makes a meditative minute. All stands still for a moment. A time to regroup. Reclaim one Peace; recharge the person regained. A neural neutral moment. So necessary. It is heavenly! Particularly like "pink toothbrush posed"...wait a minute...you have a PINK toothbrush? I thought...wait a minute...no let me think...you are beginning to like pink! Love the au contraires! Angst reliquished by the power of the mute button. LOVE IT! How you make the words sing here!
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever poem! Isn't it amazing what we can write about when the mood hits us. You are most creative, willow.
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious tribute to this routine!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter keeps telling me to turn the water off when I brush my teeth, but it's the flow of the water that adds to my bliss, "coiffure"
Loved this!
love that ast stanza especially Willow. Great job on your own Magpie here. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely poetry--I liked the way you saw this--made me laugh. I'm going upstairs now to brush my teeth....
ReplyDelete(grin)
Thank you for your comment about today's drawing! I loved what you said about your little daughter.
There's something beautiful I don't know if you have heard it--but with what you wrote, I thought you might like to know.
In Psalm 139:14, 15--it describes how we are skillfully wrought in secret (the womb). The original language has the idea of a baby unfolding, like a rosebud unfurling its petals.
Isn't that beautiful? I, too, saw my children as little unfurling rosebuds.
Beth, my little rosebud turns 28 this summer. Where, oh where, did the time go?
ReplyDeletewillow - this hooks ever so gently into something i wrote a few days back involving mirrors - i rarely look at myself doing anything at all. i'm always looking around me . . . . what's that all about?!! have a lovely day at the manor. steven
ReplyDeleteAs always, perfection.
ReplyDeleteAlas, I find now closing my eyes and doing anything can lead to the feeling of falling. At a certain age, I long since passed, a person can no longer close their eyes and stand on one leg. Okay, it's not something I miss all that much, but I do believe I've stumbled, so to speak, onto way so many elderly people fall in showers. They shut their eyes. Their balance goes off. Boom...they go down.
Loved your poem, great use of imagery.
ReplyDeleteI am afraid I read a book while I am brushing my teeth, drying my hair, etc... got to grab my moments of reading whenever I can :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat way with words - as usual - but especially so in this one. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteI want the tooth,The whole tooth and nothing but the tooth.........
ReplyDeleteIt's the simple things...right...
ReplyDeletenow that i think about it i close my eyes as well...perhaps because it is soothing...nice magpie!
ReplyDeleteI suppose if your eyes are closed you wouldn't notice if there was a stray hair from your coiffure wedged in the bristles. :) A delightfully fun read - a pleasing primp, indeed!
ReplyDeleteYou make it sound quite pleasurable
ReplyDeleteNice. The mind wanders while the brush does it work. You are the master. Or would that be the mistress. Naaaaaaahhhh!
ReplyDeleteI close my eyes at the dentist (I mean, who wouldn't?), but that's just issue avoidance. Not when I brush my teeth, though. Somehow, I just can't make that into a "pleasing primp."
ReplyDeleteI'd close my eyes at the hairdresser, if he'd just stop talking.
Great writing Willow! My fave line is "a coiffure of the mouth," just beautiful! Plus, I am a sucker for the word 'coiffure.' have a good week!
ReplyDeleteNice magpie. I like the "minty makeover", refreshed and ready to go.
ReplyDeleteI love how you made something so simple and taken for granted, so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love it! I close my eyes when I brush my teeth, too. How funny. I never realized it until I read your poem.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your kind comments, everyone. It's always a pleasure to share my poetry with all of you. You're the best readers in the whole blogosphere. oxo
ReplyDelete