Trafika Europe 8 - Romanian Holiday

Poems

A Man’s Best Friend

Mr. Gică is a man’s best friend. Is a man’s wife sick? Here comes Mr. Gică with a white sleeve for a man to cry on. Did he just have a child? Before he’s taken from the hospital, he gets a nice cut, parted on the left. Does he have an important meeting? Mr. Gică shaves him to the quick, as only he can. Is a man going to a wedding or a New Year’s party? He gets a massage first from Mr. Gică, to improve his blood-flow and avoid an apoplexy. Is a man part of an official delegation or greeting someone at the airport? Mr. Gică’s dryer puts waves in his hair, adding volume and shine. Is a man giving a keynote at the Academy? Hemust haveMr. Gică level his sideburns and trim his nose hair. And ear hair. And clip the rebellious hairs off his neck. Mr. Gică is a man’s best friend. Even as a child, a man learns to go to him, at the start of each trimester. And Mr. Gică gets him ready, as best he can, for life: he washes his hair, combs him, adds pomade, and a man leaves with calm, confidence, and gratitude toward Mr. Gică, a man’s best, best friend.

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