Paddle Pop stick dipped in white wax.
Hot.
A shiny glob, stretching
Slowly falling from its wooden perch
Twisting
Catching falling strands.
Smeared across soft skin in a swirling eight
Smothering curly, wiry strands. Some gray.
Coarse, thick, stubbornly attached.
Peeping out from granny pants.
Some adventurous, rooted outside the elastic.
Defiantly public pubes.
Pull skin tight then lift wax edge now cool, hard.
And rip, tearing layers of skin.
Hair follicles wrenched from sockets in one short sharp yank.
Hair gone.
Skin red, raw.
Angry bald bumps squeal. Then calm. Bare.
Angela Bensted is a Brisbane-based freelance writer who likes to listen first and struggle with syntax later. She pitches stories to magazines and helps businesses produce compelling copy for print and online.