What The Hell
by Tessie Robertson
When you stare at faces long enough
With a completely empty mind,
Noses become just noses
And then shapes
And then just two holes
Until finally you see nothing at all.
Or if you look at someone’s eyes long enough
They become just circles
Painted with expressionistic brushstrokes.
There is no meaning left
And you see only yourself staring back
And it is all rather frightening.
Or if you stare at the lips
You sometimes suddenly feel dizzy
Because they’re moving and
How can that be?
They are just lines
And those cannot move freely.
Then you’ll blink to remember
And you’ll see a face you’ve never seen before.
You’ll fall in love again
With every feature that
Tragically turned into a shape or a line
And you’ll think to yourself
“What the hell”
With a completely empty mind,
Noses become just noses
And then shapes
And then just two holes
Until finally you see nothing at all.
Or if you look at someone’s eyes long enough
They become just circles
Painted with expressionistic brushstrokes.
There is no meaning left
And you see only yourself staring back
And it is all rather frightening.
Or if you stare at the lips
You sometimes suddenly feel dizzy
Because they’re moving and
How can that be?
They are just lines
And those cannot move freely.
Then you’ll blink to remember
And you’ll see a face you’ve never seen before.
You’ll fall in love again
With every feature that
Tragically turned into a shape or a line
And you’ll think to yourself
“What the hell”