Head cleaner — Summary

Dave BontaCheerful

examining my accounts I employ a girl to comb my head

no angers mining my head I slept

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The poem sets two odd ideas side by side. In the first stanza, the speaker is going over their accounts, the dull business of money and records, and hires a girl to comb their head. The title, "Head cleaner," suggests she is tidying the mind as much as the hair. It reads like a small joke about paying someone to take care of what we can't manage ourselves: the clutter of worry that comes with counting what we owe and own.

The second stanza turns quiet and strange. "No angers / mining my head" suggests the irritations that usually dig around in the speaker's thoughts have gone, and the final line, "I slept," arrives plainly, like a sigh. The mood is calm, a little dry, and gently humorous. Judging by the imagery, the speaker feels relief, even if the arrangement is slightly absurd. The short lines leave a lot of white space, which mirrors the emptied-out head.

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