Grooming

(Getting a stylish haircut, a smart pair of jeans and a “presentable” appearance are only 

at most a month away; there are other things, like our grey cells, which we have been 

grooming over the years, if not for decades. Why not attempt to make them lasting?)

You saw his dull hair, dishevelled

Atop his square and bland face;

You saw the melanin on his skin

From lying under the sun, bare-

You saw him grow beard,

Made you sneer as he neared.

You saw his lacklustre lips

Which he purses whilst anxiety grips;

You saw his glasses, discolored,

Gathering dirt from every line

Over which he brooded.

You saw him in clothes fit for a Bedouin-

Untrimmed nails, chisel teeth,

An unpleasant countenance-

And fashion miles away.

You thought he needed a makeover-

“Manicure and pedicure are no panacea”,

He said, “for ignorance, the real malice,

And I’ve been training to reach out for peace.”