Day 16, Poet 16: Hollie Hardy

Photo by Joe Carrow

How To Detangle A Bird Caught In Your Hair
 
First you have to have hair
This trend toward baldness negates the problem
 
Once you have grown a luscious mane
Gather images on your lion tongue
 
Ripe peaches, sizzle of bacon
Crisp campfire scent of an almost winter night
Handful of rain, feathers or marbles
Details of sunset, sand and fast cars
 
Weave your materials carefully
Remember that birds like shiny things
 
The colors and flavors you choose
May affect the type of bird you lure
Into your hair-nest
 
It helps to know what you’re looking for
The hummingbird is popular due to its size
And general friendliness
The swan is elegant but angry
Loons, pelicans and ostriches
Are obviously to be avoided 
 
With patience, you will eventually find a bird snarled in your hair
It might not be the bird you initially had in mind
Give it some time. This one may surprise you
 
Protect your eyes and face
As you attempt to pet the iridescent feathers
Of your albatross or owl. Avoid wearing a hat
 
In the event that you tire of this entanglement
The following options are available:
 
1. Tenderly cut the bird away, like a piece of gum from a child’s hair
2. Start a small fire on the back of your head, and begin to run


Previously published in The Common Online and subsequently published in How To Take A Bullet And Other Survival Poems (where the title of each poem has been appropriated from The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven and David Borgenich.)


Hollie Hardy is the author of How to Take a Bullet, And Other Survival Poems (Punk Hostage Press, 2014), winner of the 2016 Annual Poetry Center Book Award. She teaches writing classes at the SF Creative Writing Institute, SFSU, and Berkeley City College. An active participant in the Bay Area lit scene, she hosts Saturday Night Special, An East Bay Open Mic, and is a founder and core producer of Oakland’s Beast Crawl Literary Festival. Her website is www.holliehardy.com