I believe I cut my hair that day
My bangs had grown too long
And as I trimmed my own fair strands
My thoughts of you were strong

As I gazed into the mirror
And studied my own face
I thought about my little girl
Who had vanished without trace

Keeping canvas close at hand
To quench such need to ask
I slipped into the alter me
And set about my task

I portrayed the "you" I could not see
My special girl somewhere
As I smelled the rain and gentle wind
That rustled through your hair

You wore a raincoat on that day
...there was no teddy bear
Yet simple trim of bangs too long
"Reasoned" why my heart was there.

"Overgrown Bangs" is the fifth in a series from Mary ...Beyond the Canvas
by Susan Van Sleet. Her featured works validate the art therapy used
to "process" her longing for "Mary" who was placed, as an infant,
through a closed adoption in 1966. When Susan and her birthdaughter
were reunited in 1993 the childhood photographs given to her by Jeanne
showed amazing likenesses to the paintings created by Van Sleet
that spanned nearly twenty-six years.

Credits: Susan Van Sleet