"I know it didn’t happen this way, but…"
I sat in a barber chair in an old fashioned barber shop. It was long and narrow with four chairs on the right, facing a wall of mirrors, calendars, combs, and hat hooks on the opposite wall. Eight bucks bought a haircut, a hot lather shave, electric massage with something that looked a lot like an orbital sander, and a free bag of popcorn.
Greeting the first barber and customer with, “Hey, how’s it going?” and you only needed to nod or say “hey” as you proceed to the waiting area in the rear of the shop.
Seating in the waiting area was limited enough to be awkward and the privacy afforded by a smart phone was still a few years away. Each incoming customer was acknowledged and logged in via some unwritten, silent system, and equilibrium of sorts was maintained with each barber call, “Next.”
Native Trout of the American West, Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery, Oklahoma City University
My turn in the chair was pretty near a perfect hair-styling experience. Conversation was mundane and minimal until the seat next to me was occupied by a professor of geology/natural history/world knowledge who, having heard something said about fishing, decided to teach us about the giant fish and fish-like creatures that once inhabited our prehistoric sea. No electric clipper was loud enough to save us from the oratory that followed; Mosasaurs of the genus Platecarpus, giant Cretozyrhina sharks, and Xiphactinus fish that could swallow prey whole up to six feet long. The pretentiousness was palpable, and the condescension unbearable.
From the back of the room, a blind guy swept the hair clippings on the floor into a pile directly in front of the professor, and listened intently. He leaned on the broom, focused his limited vision on the speaker, and waited for his moment.
Without stepping away from the broom, he said, “I know it didn’t happen this way, but, what if you could put a lion on a hook?”
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi
Acrylic and encaustic on wood, 54" H. X 108" W., 2007
Golden Trout Creek Golden Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita
Acrylic and encaustic on wood, 54" H. X 108" W., 2007