A Pair of Clippers

Illustration by Jenn Marie

In Need of a Haircut 

By Jenn Marie 

When you want

your hair cut,
but you can’t overcome
the anxiety
of waiting in line
at Great Clips,
and everyone is watching you,
and everyone is judging you,
and what if
you break the chair,
and what if
they cut your hair wrong,
and what if
they don’t take Visa,
and you don’t have any cash, 
and what if
something happens
to my cats
while I’m not home,
and what if
the apartment catches fire.
And what if,
on second thought,
my hair is fine.
I’ll just comb it different.

I Deserve a Haircut 

By Richard Propes 

What if today I acknowledge
that I deserve to be happy? 

What if today I tiptoed
through those old tapes
and creeping anxieties
and gave myself permission to love myself?

What if waiting in line
became an adventure
and the fear of being watched
was overwhelmed by the truth
that everyone around me
had their own fears and anxieties?

What if I committed myself
to loving everyone in that room
so much that when they looked at me
they saw love and hope and light?

What if I took someone with me
who would love me through the experience
even if a chair breaks
or the haircut sucks
or the apartment catches fire?

What if today I got the haircut I want
and the love I fucking deserve?

About the Writers

Jenn Marie lives in Broad Ripple, Indiana with her lovefriend, Sam and five cats: Barney, Butt-Butt, Nevele, Parabola and their new little rascal, Larry David. She’s a ’90s grunge girl who loves looking for the magic in the mundane. Jenn is the co-founder of In Verse alongside Sam, and she provides many of the photos and illustrations that accompany the writing on the site. She’s a portrait of a woman painted with pure love. 

Richard Propes is the founder/publisher of TheIndependentCritic.com, an Indianapolis-based film website with a focus on independent film. A freelance arts critic since his college days, Richard is also a nationally recognized child rights activist and popular inspirational speaker who has traveled over 3,000 miles by wheelchair on his annual “Tenderness Tour” events and has been recognized with the highest awards for community service in Indiana, Kentucky and from numerous non-profit organizations. Richard is the author of “The Hallelujah Life,” “Imaginary Crimes,” “The Secret Heart” and has had four plays produced in Central Indiana. He also served as Executive Producer on “Give a Girl a Chance,” a 2009 benefit compilation featuring local and national music artists. Richard has a strong commitment to using film to improve people’s lives. (He is a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association.) Richard is widowed and a lifelong resident of Central Indiana. While the majority of Richard’s work is exclusive to The Independent Critic, he has also freelanced extensively for print and web-based media.