China girl

We share the same shampoo
Though our hair couldn't be more different
Hers is long and slick and straight
Mine curls short with prepared impatience

She reads letters that make no sense
To me they look like riddles
Mathematical formulas
I was never any good at

She reads while waiting for a friend
Hair dripping on the page
The noise of women washing, dressing
Not even a blink of distraction

I read in a bone dry silence
A rain drop makes me flinch
In this teaming, steaming bathhouse
Our matching shampoo brand provides reassurance

Her friend arrives chatting
More discordant coded chaos
The book remains obediently open
Impressed by its master's concentration