JOY ALONG THE WAY: PROMS: SPRINGBOARDS TO SOCIAL REALITY

The appointment for my haircut fell on the day a lot of high school seniors were there to get their glamorous hairdos for the prom that night. Some had even brought pictures of how they wanted to look for the Big Night.

I closed my eyes and listened to the happy chatter. It reminded me of the cheerful twittering of the finches when they find the feeder is newly filled. These little birds dance around the feeder with every feather in place always.

High school graduation is a time that will be remembered. Not kindergarten, not eighth grade nor college. They are fore- and after-runners without much ado. High school is the gem in the progression. If you get a graduation ring, there is the date engraved right on it should your memory become dim and you still have the prized piece of jewelry. But who is thinking of later years on the day of the prom. Prom, short for promenade when you step out for inspection and to be adored if possible.

The girls crowding the beauty salon were thinking of having updo hair arrangements and what tendrils, if any, they wanted hanging down each side of their face ad what the little wisps of hair at the nape of their necks were going to look like. They were too short for the updo of the rest of their hair. Should they be curled, cut off or just left alone, they asked the coiffeurs.

I watched with interest how the hair dressers took up long tresses of hair and fastened them in some way on top of the head so that it would stay there through the swingingest dances. Some of the ends of the tresses were tucked in (pinned to the scalp for all I know), forming coils. Others, having been securely fastened (glue?) atop the head had the ends falling loose in a cascade of short curls.

Meanwhile my own hair dresser was questioning me from time to time which brought for a bunch of "Whets?" from me as I listened to other facets of the modern proms. In addition to the happy hairdos there would be beautiful new gowns and shoes, maybe mama's long earrings, a shoulder-slung, tiny, bejeweled purse, fresh manicure, perfect makeup, corsage, perfume, and most important, a handsome, tuxedoed boy driving up in a rented limousine.

"Do you want your hair cut below your ears? Midway? Above?"

"Huh? What? Oh, about half way. Tapered in the back. Way up" I instructed and lost my thoughts in my own high school graduation. We didn't have proms then. There were too few, especially too few who knew many dance steps, if any. We did have a banquet though. That was our big deal to dress up for. And even though it was in the middle of the depressing Depression, the girls did manage a new dress, made by our mamas who had saved money all winter to buy a few yards of dimity, poplin or creme de chine. Lucky me, I had pink crepe de chine. So my dress had a spray of deeper pink roses at the neckline and on some ruffles over hips, ruffles that gave me a bit of a shape.

I do not mean to paint today's girls as frivolous. I feel sure they will give full attention to their commencement speaker and remember what he/she says. I remember what mine said. His theme was "Seven steps to a better life."

1. Virtue

2. Love

3. Knowledge

4. Godliness

5. Brotherly Kindness

6. Temperance

7. Patience

He did not mention the hard cruel world out there where differing ideologies and culture led to worldwide troubles. I suppose he felt that if we had the seven virtues we could handle anything.

REJOICE!

Jean Bell Mosley is an author and longtime resident of Cape Girardeau.