Eyes reveal quite a lot about a person. Fire, fear, self-loathing, bottled aggression, love, doubt, contradiction, honesty. The last is the most important. What you see in someone's eyes will tell you how much to take them at their word. They say what lips simply can't admit.
Case in point: a girl confessing that she's trouble, she's nuts, don't trust her, walk away. The verbal warning resounds with the immediacy of a mattress tag. "DO NOT REMOVE." But what do the eyes say? They emphasize the point, refine it, like punctuation. Honesty, in all it's glassy brown glory.
I have a bunch of examples from the last week, gleaned from an unusual bounty of unpleasant run-ins. When some outside element might bend or twist words beyond their intended form, when alcohol or frustration or fatigue turn mild irritation into flat-out hatred, look to the eyes. Love, lust or friendship can be sparked or fractured irreparably by the intensity of an iris.
Bismarck's a blast. Delta lost my suitcase in Salt Lake, leaving me without toothbrush and more than my high school wardrobe for the better part of yesterday. But drinks with the crew, with the Neal-Amanda-Amanda-Annie posse, were a much-needed lift. Twenty-some miles of canoeing with the old man helped put a lot of things in perspective, better than a morning on Rock Creek. Yes, crashing a bachelorette party was not the highlight of my life, but six-way spooning with people you've known all your adult life? Well worth the shrill giggles.
Wedding tomorrow, Missoula the day after. For now, vacation and family and no thoughts of work. I think I'll re-learn Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Haven't played the Chickering in a few years.
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1 comment:
Great post. At one point I had "Jesu..." memorized.
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