20160702 (money)

Somebody in the House of Representatives is a big backer of these sharks

Scrapping paid for haircuts for

Some time when I went through

My retirement check on the first

Paying all the bills and not wanting

To ask for four dollars. It wasn’t

Lucrative, nor sustaining, but it

Filled a gap, and was relatively 

Easy. Mostly, when walking 

Loki, if I’d see an aluminum

Can on the ground I’d bag it.

Every six weeks when I could

Stand a trim, I would have received

Enough from the recycler (the

Scrapyard) to shell out maybe 

Even tip a dollar. These were

Student cuts at the barber college

On Lorain. I’d always get prompt

Service because my cuts were

Bare bones beginners’ trims

And were completed quickly.

Almost certain somebody thought

“They’re taking the white guy

First.” But they weren’t. They 

Were taking anybody who had

Basic cuts they could throw to

The newest students, that’s all.

The quicker they made their

Four bucks the happier they 

Were. That they made me as

Happy was beer foam on the

Pickle. I never had the same 

Student twice because in six

Weeks they may have rotated

All that class out. I’d just say

To the barber-to-be (man or

Woman as the times had it),

“Just slap a number three on

And zip it all over, but taper 

The back.” Usually he/she 

Had a look of relief hearing 

The order and knew this was

Good practice even though

The supervisor had to check 

Their work. Then, depending 

On whether either one of us

Wanted to talk, we’d settle on

A topic and exchange ideas 

For the while. Start with weather,

How busy the shop was, why

I knew nothing about sports,

By then it’s over. Check the 

Mirror for the taper, yep, fine.

I’d always say they did well

And wished them luck. At first

I didn’t tip, then later thought,

It’s only a dollar, I wasn’t

Buying their eternal devotion.

The other customers generally

Presented far better than I.

I’d be wearing my scuzzies

Often enough worn through 

At the knees (not trendy jeans,

More like threadbare Dockers)

With grass or dirt stains or

Tinged with recent sawdust.

I wasn’t trying to play poor

I just didn’t need to primp

For a haircut like some guys

Do (the ones who get styled

At a salon and pay close to

Thirty, more if they get a 

Shave). Overheard conversation

Was much like I heard on the

Other great leveler, the bus.

A woman on her phone was 

Explaining she had to come 

By fifty dollars to pay some 

Fine at the jail or they’d pick

Her up again, but her job

Wasn’t going to pay until

Friday and she needed the 

Money by Wednesday. Now

That probably wasn’t my kind

Of difficulty, coming up with 

Half a hundred overnight. I

Wondered if she were one of

Those who’d end up with 

Payday lenders, those scumbags

Who charged poor people

Upwards of three hundred per

Cent interest. It turned out I

Had recently read about the 

Chairperson of the Democratic

National Committee, Ms. Debbie

Wasserman Schultz, being a

Leading advocate for the payday

Loan industry. I knew all along

There was something I didn’t

Like about that woman which

Had nothing to do with her 

Screwing Sanders by limiting

The debates and scheduling them

When few would see them. Ah,

The shit you can learn at the barber’s.

c. J.S.Manista, 2016