Picture (im)perfect

It is a perceptive gaze
that sees the creases;
those shallow lines
and hidden canyons

No one knows
- really knows -
the exact meaning of all of this
The constant balancing
to make it all worth while
The sum of gain and loss
caught forever by the painters brush

A cautious stare
catches that fading twinkle
to sudden sadness

And silence intercepts

There must have been, initially,
days of joy
that strayed into tomorrow,
untainted and full of light

Where have they gone,
I wonder
What has gone so wrong
to cause this binding with doubt
Was there too much caution, unwarranted?
Or too much pain, implanted?

A denial of joy

There must have been
(at least) moments
where wonder reigned
and curiousness was still
a first step forward
Abundance, waiting to be assigned

Those must have been the days …
I see it in this picture
I see its prove reflecting

Then why, oh why …

stuck
in the mirror’s mind


..