eyebrows
in older photos
back when you were — I don’t know, twenty-three?
the lines of your face weren’t just younger and softer
your eyebrows were different
rounded, thinner
you plucked them more, maybe
anyway, they made you look like a nicer person
now they’re harsh and sharp
they stand out like daggers
aimed at one another
threatening war to anyone
who looks at you the wrong way
no — it’s not just age
or style
or evolving fashion
it’s that I know more about you now
and you know more about me
or at least you think you do
and you use that knowledge
to cut me open
and dissect me
and you leave me there on the table
splayed and pained
left searching my memory
for your once-friendlier face
no — it’s not cosmetic
you didn’t change them on purpose
life changed them for you
and I see that now
I can’t stop myself from seeing it
Franco Amati 2021
become a Patron
