alicia9i

The Blink of an Eye
by
Al Eluya

Today,
you look at yourself
in the mirror
with infinite tenderness.
The deep rivers
underlying your eyes
almost drown you.
The spots
in the middle of your apples
kill your hunger.
The crow’s feet flying
in formation like a flock of swallows
bewilder you.
There are signs
of a lifetime of tears
eroding your nasolabial folds.
Roads of parallel lines,
straight from a geometry class,
cross your forehead
reaching to infinity.
Not one, but
twin coins for Charon,
minted from the dark minerals
of the River Styx,
circle your eyes.
Some unannounced event
has made your face descend
like a Vestal from the altar
after the ceremony.
And you ask yourself,
what ceremony?

Alicia Viguer-Espert

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