Let's workshop this piece about a narrator who, thinking back to the barbershop he used to go to as a teen, contemplates the passage of time and masculinity
“A-1 Barber” serves as an evocative journey through memory, using the sights, sounds, smells, and cultural nuances of a barbershop to explore themes of masculinity, nostalgia, and identity. This prose poem intertwines detailed sensory recollection with meditative introspection, juxtaposing the narrator’s present sense of displacement with a vivid immersion in a cherished past, one where the barbershop—A-1 Barber—is as much a social hub as it is a site of self-refinement. The narrator’s recall is triggered by a mall directory photograph, which plunges him back into a richly textured world of youthful familiarity and cultural exchange.
The poem grounds the reader in a world of 90s hip hop, barbershop masculinity, and young adulthood. Through descriptions like “minty lubrication spray,” “citrusy clove of bay rum,” and “gourmand envelope of bourbon chicken,” the narrator revisits the barber’s chair as an almost sacred space, where physical appearance is refined but where culture, personal history, and camaraderie coalesce. Each detail serves a dual purpose: grounding the reader in the sensory while linking those elements to emotions, attitudes, and community. A-1 Barber is not just a place for haircuts but a place that shapes his identity, even informing his nascent interests in philosophy and alternative lifestyles as encouraged by his barber, Rafa, who subtly guides him toward his intellectual pursuits.
Rafa, a vegan barber with thin dreads, emerges as a pivotal figure, offering a calm, nontraditional perspective in contrast to the more stereotypically "tough" barbers around him. Unlike the shop's loud debates, Rafa embodies tranquility, inspiring the narrator’s gradual move toward an intellectual path marked by introspection rather than bravado. Rafa’s understated encouragement of the narrator’s “bohemian earth tones” and philosophical pursuits creates a sense of mentorship that departs from the hypermasculine and often aggressive attitudes around them. This tension between Rafa’s subdued guidance and the assertive masculinity of the other barbers highlights the narrator’s inner conflict and growing self-awareness, as he negotiates his own identity within and outside of the stereotyped norms of his cultural context.
The poem employs a layered structure, with shifts between the narrator's present isolation and his immersion in the past. Present-day feelings of disconnection—“reek wafting up even through thermals and jeans”—contrast with the warmth and vibrancy of his A-1 Barber memories, where he finds a sense of belonging. This juxtaposition underscores the loss of a stable masculine identity in his current life. It is in the past, at the barbershop, where he feels supported by a collective masculine presence, especially when facing the complexities of sex, relationships, and adulthood. The advice from the barbers, to “keep it wrapped up” after passionate encouragement to “go-get-em,” hints at a collective wisdom they wish they had heeded in their youth, a regret disguised as advice but revealing deeper vulnerabilities.
“A-1 Barber” closes on the barbers' role as inadvertent father figures, presenting both wisdom and contradictions in their guidance. In this way, the barbershop becomes a social institution where rites of passage are imparted in pragmatic, often unvarnished terms, fostering a kind of masculine intimacy rarely acknowledged in more formal spaces. The narrator’s return to these memories through the mall directory photo thus becomes more than nostalgic recall; it is a reflection on the complexities of growing up, the lessons he absorbed (and the lives forever altered) within the faded neon corridors of A-1 Barber.
barbershop nostalgia, masculinity, identity, mentorship, 90s hip hop culture, sensory memory, community, father figures, philosophy, cultural heritage
“A-1 Barber” serves as an evocative journey through memory, using the sights, sounds, smells, and cultural nuances of a barbershop to explore themes of masculinity, nostalgia, and identity. This prose poem intertwines detailed sensory recollection with meditative introspection, juxtaposing the narrator’s present sense of displacement with a vivid immersion in a cherished past, one where the barbershop—A-1 Barber—is as much a social hub as it is a site of self-refinement. The narrator’s recall is triggered by a mall directory photograph, which plunges him back into a richly textured world of youthful familiarity and cultural exchange.
The poem grounds the reader in a world of 90s hip hop, barbershop masculinity, and young adulthood. Through descriptions like “minty lubrication spray,” “citrusy clove of bay rum,” and “gourmand envelope of bourbon chicken,” the narrator revisits the barber’s chair as an almost sacred space, where physical appearance is refined but where culture, personal history, and camaraderie coalesce. Each detail serves a dual purpose: grounding the reader in the sensory while linking those elements to emotions, attitudes, and community. A-1 Barber is not just a place for haircuts but a place that shapes his identity, even informing his nascent interests in philosophy and alternative lifestyles as encouraged by his barber, Rafa, who subtly guides him toward his intellectual pursuits.
Rafa, a vegan barber with thin dreads, emerges as a pivotal figure, offering a calm, nontraditional perspective in contrast to the more stereotypically "tough" barbers around him. Unlike the shop's loud debates, Rafa embodies tranquility, inspiring the narrator’s gradual move toward an intellectual path marked by introspection rather than bravado. Rafa’s understated encouragement of the narrator’s “bohemian earth tones” and philosophical pursuits creates a sense of mentorship that departs from the hypermasculine and often aggressive attitudes around them. This tension between Rafa’s subdued guidance and the assertive masculinity of the other barbers highlights the narrator’s inner conflict and growing self-awareness, as he negotiates his own identity within and outside of the stereotyped norms of his cultural context.
The poem employs a layered structure, with shifts between the narrator's present isolation and his immersion in the past. Present-day feelings of disconnection—“reek wafting up even through thermals and jeans”—contrast with the warmth and vibrancy of his A-1 Barber memories, where he finds a sense of belonging. This juxtaposition underscores the loss of a stable masculine identity in his current life. It is in the past, at the barbershop, where he feels supported by a collective masculine presence, especially when facing the complexities of sex, relationships, and adulthood. The advice from the barbers, to “keep it wrapped up” after passionate encouragement to “go-get-em,” hints at a collective wisdom they wish they had heeded in their youth, a regret disguised as advice but revealing deeper vulnerabilities.
“A-1 Barber” closes on the barbers' role as inadvertent father figures, presenting both wisdom and contradictions in their guidance. In this way, the barbershop becomes a social institution where rites of passage are imparted in pragmatic, often unvarnished terms, fostering a kind of masculine intimacy rarely acknowledged in more formal spaces. The narrator’s return to these memories through the mall directory photo thus becomes more than nostalgic recall; it is a reflection on the complexities of growing up, the lessons he absorbed (and the lives forever altered) within the faded neon corridors of A-1 Barber.
barbershop nostalgia, masculinity, identity, mentorship, 90s hip hop culture, sensory memory, community, father figures, philosophy, cultural heritage