—after Arundhathi Subramaniam
I want to speak up
for those men
with comb overs
stretching long hairs
like guitar strings
who hitch their trousers
up under their armpits
who wear socks with sandals
in case they get wet feet
whose love life
was swallowed by a sink-hole
who spent
their entire working life
in a denture clinic
who have a different denture
for each day of the week
none of them fit properly
whose social life
is focused
on a poker machine
who never
did anyone any harm
who still believe
they’ll meet the right woman
these men with comb overs.
I want to speak up for them.