Hoping for Dolly’s Do by Melinda Thomsen

For my wedding day,

I wanted blond on steroids,

a real shot of puffy poof,

so I asked the hairdresser

to make my hair look

like Dolly Parton’s.

The hairdresser smiled

her bless your heart smile,

as she curled, sprayed,

sprayed some more,

but my straight, fine hair

refused to tower like a multi

layered wedding cake.

It sighed and relaxed

into its lazy way

with a few strands of hair

dangling across my forehead,

so I went full Marilyn Monroe

instead. My frosty curls

stayed wispy through

the receiving line and hung

around all afternoon. Fluff

never made me work so hard.

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Melinda Thomsen’s book full length Armature is from Hermit Feathers Press, and Finishing Line Press published her chapbooks Naming Rights and Field Rations. Her poems have appeared in Rattle, New York Quarterly, Poetry East, Tar River Poetry, The Comstock Review, and others. Find her at @ThomsenMelinda