Summer Haircut 

by Brooke Wade Murphy 

with calloused hands 
he unclenches 
the jaws of an ornery lawn chair 

synthetic plaid 
weave gives way 
as two ball-and-sockets 

settle. in vagrant grass 
ten mosquitoes 
investigate four bare ankles 

and black curls 
fall, detached 
through sultry dusky air 

she puts away the electric razor 
and he makes the bed, unfolding sheets 
fresh from the refrigerator

Brooke Wade Murphy is a sophomore, majoring in English and French. She is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is currently studying at NYU Paris. She likes cornichons, Peggy Guggenheim, and wearing watches. She dislikes children’s choirs, making decisions, and the seams at the toes of socks.