Pigtails

she emerges from the bobble-
cordoned bathing area with
her pigtails wet & sticking out
like unicorn horns from the
back of her head – instantly
she’s a girl again the shining
happy memory of herself as
a strong swimmer dancer &
singer all at once like a sea
monkey queen reacting with
water swirled & sequined in
the jar for all to see – i’ve
been reading too much murakami
not to understand what does
drive the mind growing older
what cues the eye interprets
as “summer holiday”: such
tropes as chipped nail polish
tan lines of a different bikini
beneath the current pair
we stretched out legs on
a gaudy beach towel airport
novel open at a random page
& left there like the roof of
a swiss house on the rocks …
sometimes i forget that i can’t
speak japanese that this book
is just a translation irritating
in its americanisms like this
endless parade of paris hilton
stunt doubles along the beach
whose vacuous stares thankfully
are hidden from view by their
designer fly or wasp sunglasses
they couldn’t ever hold a candle
to this girl in pigtails emerging
like reality TV from the water