Over time our faces become a reflection of our lives
and what we are comprised of inside.
Over time the mask of youth fades away
as we bear the marks and scars of the kind of life
and the way we have experienced it.
Like a fingerprint,
in a well-weathered face,
every little crevice, corner, ridge, wrinkle
coming out of our unguarded rictuses and spontaneous gestures,
reflect our deeds,
our highs, lows,
wins, losses, defeats,
our pain and joy –
in plain sight and exposed for all to see,
like signage, there is nothing we can do to hide them.
Does our face look deeply angry?
What about mean-spirited?
Perhaps artificial?
Or does it exude goodness, nobility,
a gentle spirit and an inspired soul?
Does it show darkness and solitude?
Or optimism and enthusiasm?
Does it vibe anguish perhaps sadness?
Or does it reflect happiness?
Does it show depression and despair?
Or cheerfulness and passion?
Whatever your honest answer is,
that’s likely who you really are.
But nothing in our face conveys more
about our true nature and human condition than our eyes.
There are those that are downright scary
as they portray death in those that have been in contact with it,m
for the right or wrong reasons.
Others depict madness
and we can sense the tumultuous,
unsettled internal world of the person we face.
What about those that are simply empty and there is no one home?
There is an endless gallery in display
throughout the human species –
the envious eyes,
the obsessed,
the ambitious,
the vengeful,
the sad,
the angry,
the resentful,
the greedy
and the hypocrite.
These contrast with those that are
gentle,
benign,
giving,
doting,
inspiring,
healing,
happy,
joyful,
patient,
grateful,
forgiving,
or simply,
twinkling,
even magical
and outright awesome!
Then there is love.
Our eyes and faces are transformed under the mantle of love;
Youth, freshness, rosiness, sparkle, glow
and cover us with a halo that projects positive energy
impregnated with enchanting and contagious vitality.
The look of love is a masterpiece,
where we see drawn on our loved ones
all that we share and treasure with them.
That’s why,
when we contemplate the faces of our life partners,
we see well beyond what anyone else does
as every move and every angle
reflects a different moment of a life shared.
Each expression and gesture
remind us of a different anecdote,
circumstance or life experience.
We connect their laughter’s to eternal memories,
we vividly remember their smiles
at countless occasions and places
and see their tears of joy or sadness
as those we shared or experienced as a couple.
We see in flashes drawn on their faces
the movie of our life journey,
just like the first time we discovered
our love’s maternal or paternal eyes
at our children’s births,
or their eyes of sadness on each of our departures
followed by their bursts of joy and relief
upon our safe returns,
or their gestures of disgust
at our transgressions or disappointments,
or their immense happiness
when their heart was taken by surprise by spontaneous gestures,
heartfelt little details or even a tiny single flower.
When we see that face
that has journeyed with us for so long,
we see every little thing, wear and tear
that is as much a part of us as it is of them.
That’s why we can’t help but to contemplate,
unwittingly and to a degree unknowingly,
in awe and wonder
the unique kind of beauty
that is made out of the richness of a joined life story
filled with countless and unforgettable mementos.
That is the reason
no one can appreciate and value,
understand, read, see and fully feel
our life’s partners eyes and faces than us,
simply because only we have experienced and know
the life story and anecdotes behind them.
June 2020.
