A Pleasant Face

A Pleasant Face

Two jade circles, each surrounded by a ring of blue-grey,

surrounding ever growing and shrinking black dots.

Right now these black dots are slightly dilated,

straining to make out the minute details of themselves.

All in all, fairly large eyes, fairly large features in general.

Above the swirling greens and blues and golden browns are two soft, straight lines,

which peeter out on either end, growing thinner and slightly upward as they fade.

A soft brown color, darker than my multichromatic hair, whose color is simply indescribable, too inconstant to be pinned down and labeled; it gets lost in the curls. Some say brown. Some say red. Some say blonde. They’re all right. They’re all wrong.

On the bridge of my nose, once so vivid, are a barely visible smattering of freckles, which reach out, rather shyly, onto my cheeks.

My nose, so large and imposing from the side, curves softly into a round bottom from the front, with half-circle nostrils playing guard on either side.

My lips are full and luscious, with a very slight upward tilt to the left half of my upper lip. My lower lip is only a bit larger than my upper, and both are a bright, natural shade of unnatural red. My lips are not wide, but they have the potential to be when I smile.

Right now they are at neutral, pleasant, but not quite smiling.

My cheeks, pink without exertion, are round and rosy. My face, heart shaped, my ears, fairly average in shape and size, are pierced and often bearing accessories.

A pleasant face, I think, I hope, although slightly marred by the permanent dark circles under my eyes and the sign of winkles on my forehead.

And when I let my guard down, allow myself to see the truth in my eyes,

I see scars, some healed, some not yet formed.

But I also see hope. I see intelligence and awareness. I see humor and friendliness.

I see life and dreams, which are pretty much the same thing.

Ayelet Schrek