Rinse and Repeat
by Rae Spencer

My best ideas start
In the shower
In a luxury of lather and steam
Where caked remnants of effort
And tangled snarls of haste

Loosen, dissolve in a waft
Of lavender, vanilla, and musk
Slick scrape of razor, tingle
Of towel and air, draft of ritual
Cleansing, tonic of detail

Which freshens and sorts
Each digit, with each attendant
Cuticle and nail, each shell
Of ear and vital fringe of lash
Highlighted in brief regard

While eye and reason intersect
To solve the mirror’s cipher
Of left and right reversed
Into calm reflection
Scattered by a spark

Rae Spencer is a writer and veterinarian living in Virginia. Her poetry has been published online and in print, receiving Pushcart Prize nominations (2009, 2010, and 2011) and a Best of the Net nomination (2011). She can be found on the web at raespencer.com.