Memories

She dips the comb into the water
and runs it through my hair
she dips and combs and dips and combs
through all the tangles there

She dips that comb, that little comb,
(It's black with many teeth)
into the water glass that sits
on the floor between her feet.

This is a memory of my mom that came to me today while I was brushing Bears hair. I had hair to my waist for all of my childhood. My hair was thick and long and dark and I remember mom combing it with her little black comb, or sometimes the silver metal one with the "tail" on it that she used to part my hair evenly with. I can't remember if I cried or whined, or if she yelled or grouched. I just remember her hands combing my hair.

Today, like every other day, I brushed Bears hair. It used to be waist length and full of ringlets. She got it cut before her 4th birthday and it fell just to her shoulder in a long straight wave. It's grown long again, but she never got back her ringlets. She currently prefers her hair to be shoulder length because it's less tangly at that length. I enjoy brushing her hair, seeing it get shiny and smooth the more I brush it. I like tucking it behind her little seashell ears and parting it slightly to the side just at the arch of her eyebrow. I love smelling her hair, the Suave Milk and Honey scent we use with her own unique Bear scent. I wonder if someday she will brush her childs hair and remember her and I standing before my bathroom mirror gazing at each other while I brush, and brush, and brush.