which is dedicated to Darcy Liddle
Darcy is one of the most beautiful souls I have ever encountered. We are bound together by mental health, by lifting ridiculously heavy weights and by the fact nobody has ever treated my hair with as much respect and care as she has.
It was the ‘inverse Samson’ that she bestowed upon me that started this poem, in this very hairdresser’s chair. The action of being heard, after decades of being discouraged by male hairdressers to do exactly this, made me accept a major disparity in my existence.
Darcy freed me of the tyranny of expectations, and I am immensely grateful for everyone who has done the same for me in the last few years. Freedom comes in many forms. Amazingly, a head shave, at least in my case, has unlocked a number of super powers…
Intent
she shaves my head
as we me they become
an act of unexpected liberation
the inverse Samson
transformation becomes transaction
between me and here and fate
that destiny is desperate to negate
not it nor them
holds any strength to wield
that is mine now and will always be
logical progression visual proclivity
what I see becomes in time reality
each man who never let this happen
every dreadful hairy politician
their anger transmutes me instead
and this morning as I lift break rest
ignoring any need for power
progression holds a fresh intent
a perfect line on a brilliantly
uncluttered stage
Poem copyright S. Reeson © 2026
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