Laser Hair Removal, Appt. #9

It is a strange technology that leaves me

under the burning Light, a white woman standing over

me, the laser in her hand.

I have come to remake my face

bow down to science and become hairless.

I am here for the new medicine.

I have forsaken the facial bleach

and wax. In this modern age, I sit

in her chair. She, a faux-doctor,

with her-almost scalpel

ready to laser my face naked, transform me

sharp and angular in the Light.

My face, a weapon or a modern miracle

or a crisp progress, the kind we can all aspire

to. See beautiful or civilized.

I offer my cheek to the Light

and this white woman does her job.

She yammers on about something stupid

really. See my face in her hands. My face

under the Light. Her hands are the Light.

Her hands touch my face as her stupid

mouth keeps running. Burns

each hair at the follicle.

She tells me about the beautiful

Indian man she met recently.

he   was   so   attractive   i   never

would   have   guessed   he   was   indian

i   thought   he   must   have   been   south

american   so   sexy   so   exotic

Exotic burns against my cheek.

south indian                                        fair and lovely                                      ugly

jungle woman                                                 mustache wax              nair

veet  ugly                                             jolen’s bleach

sally hansen                ugly                 ugly                                                             ugly

She strips all this savagery from my face

and I accept it, grind it

deep into my heart. I glint.

Stainless. Praise

her soft hands, godless tools.

I blink, newly radiant under the Light.

* * *

Arati Warrier has been on five slam teams, featured on final stage at Women of the World Poetry Slam 2014, and was a member of the UT Austin winning team at the 2014 national collegiate poetry slam. Her work has been published by the Academy of American Poets and Junoesq Magazine. She currently works as a part time vegetable enthusiast and a full time high school English teacher.