Losing Face
How not to lose face.
Losing face
Faceless coward!
No more honour in the world
Mechanics…
Builders…
Surgeons…
Before my car goes in
Before the hammer comes down
Before I go under
See me
Don’t forget this face
This face
Make no mistake
You are dealing with a
Human, here
But why should
The trees be spared?
They have faces too
Before the axe goes in
Before the machines go to work
See me
Don’t forget this face
This place
Make no mistake
You are dealing with
Nature, here
It’s written all over your face!
Countenance
Fault lines
Stories —
Told, and untold
Mirror mirror
On the wall
I can’t look away
I force myself
To stare, gaze
Oh but it’s rude to stare!
There’s a line for that too
A shame line —
The bottom squint wrinkle
Beneath my left eye
The scar
Between my eyes
Opens up sometimes
Like it’s irritated
For wisdom not adhered
For learning lost
But I’ll get another turn
The stories
Are magnanimous
In that way
I’ll get called out
Again
By my adversaries
The lines will deepen
Become more defined
Refined?
Each time around
You look so well!
Your eyes are clear!
The bounty
The spoils
From a recent journey
This scares a few…
A piercing heaviness
Gravitas
The boon can be quite revealing
In another
So they look away
And I don’t blame them
I still look away
Too
It’s unnerving
To imagine
Licking another’s lips
The constant threat
Of involuntary pursing
An erogenous “oooh”
Are we going to kiss?
Am I going to cry?
Am I going to bust your nose with the top of my head?
There’s a line
A marking
For all of these questions
I’m the creep in the hallway
The facial contortionist
I’m the sullen…
The brazen…
The peeper…
I’m the inner tears of hurt
The outer tears of joy
I’m a crinkle-cut chip
Not yet contrite
Indelible
Eternal
This is my vow
To remember you always
This is how
To never lose face
