Cut Your Hair

Cut your hair she said.
Don’t worry about your forehead.
You know it’s big, who cares.
Don’t you worry about it.
Cut your hair and go
out without feeling self-conscious.

I like it when you cut
your hair. Stop being bashful,
she said. I thanked her
for having my back.
I stopped feeling less confident.

I went on for years thinking
of her long after she was gone.