My apprentice ghost

I know friends whose nightmares are fierce these days
their anxiety ballooning at night
until it takes up all their breath
and haunts their sleep

but mine is like an apprentice ghost
still learning
still sharpening
her sword

casting me in my dreams every night
as myself going about my day
until I accidentally
get my hair done

I wake up wide-eyed
feeling for my hair
which is flat
but not in that smooth
hair salon way

I sigh with relief in the dark
and my young ghost does too
as she finally gets the nod from her supervisor
chuckling at me on her way up.