Shampooing Tears Down Crying Eyes

Eight days into my 30-day poetry writing challenge in recognition of this April's National poetry-month celebration and things thus far are going very well. For the second time, I will be posting two poems today and this time both offerings will go in this blog on this page… :}

Today’s poems deal with potential pains of shampooing young children’s hair. Although the first poem bears a nice number of verses, the second is a short play off the first. So here we go…

Shampooing Tears Down Crying Eyes

Mom was shampooing my hair

Rubbing with tender love and care

Relaxing from her gentle strokes

I pushed bubbles helping them float

In the bathtub around my skin

A bubble beard clung to my chin


Water felt warm

Plus talk was fun

Till shampoo streak

Dripped down my brow

Changing my mood

Forcing my cry

“Mom! The soap got in my eye!”

Stinging one corner to the next

Shampoo disrupted my cortex

Crocodile tears fell from their ducts

Exactly what the brain instructs

Must ensue; yes this is the crux

‘Clean that invaded eye or bust!’


The facecloth held in Mother’s hand

Swiped water fresh from the faucet

Across my eyes I squeezed so tight

Holding them shut with all my might

Which eye? Asked she as freshened cloth

Wiped my forehead without the froth

This one… my finger pointed right

Fearing I would soon lose my sight

“Open it up now… Let me see.”

Was what Mom’s words commanded me

At first my eyes put up a fight

Unwilling to look for the light

Stinging pupils still could not trust

Mother’s calm words without a fuss

Mindful lashes alas let loose

Follow the leader lids peeked thru

The crack eyes managed to unglue

Saw Mother’s cheerful face and blue

Eyes reassuring all was through

Brain thought…

‘Oh, what a lovely view!’

Written by R. Renée Bembry
April 8, 2013


Never Shampoo Your Eyes

Never must you

Shampoo your eyes

Unless you want

Them to cry

They’ll be stinging

They’ll be clinging

To dear life of vision plight

They’ll be tearing

They’ll be fearing

Never seeing colored sight

Written by R. Renée Bembry
April 8, 2013

I hope you enjoyed this piece about shampoo in the eye and as always, you can feel free to leave a poem of your own, especially one about shampoo in the comments section below. Plus, don't forget you can help a kid leave a poem for me and others to read in the comments section as well...

Thanks for visiting!