THE FACE

THE FACE
It was like witnessing a pantomime in the night without lights or other paraphernalia. Her face was as vivacious and lively as that of a new-born baby. It was as vibrant with emotions as the strings of a guitar blazing with the latest music. Her eyes were struggling to look into my eyes: the silent gaze was as eloquent as a waterfall. It had a domino effect within me: it brought down all the frontiers of defence in my heart, her eyes had the potential to dive into the countless aeons of time I’ve been blinking my eyes.

My eyes sought the peace and tranquility that one seeks in Mecca and Medina in her face. Her face was like a fallow land in which the farmer sees a huge potential in the form of crops. The crops bring a huge smile on his face; they translate into happiness and satisfaction; her face could be a region of peace, it could even spell terror. It was an enigma that insisted on being solved, the puzzle was beautiful as such, I did not want to solve it.

The solution offered by the puzzled and amazed look that she gave me in return was as intricate as the problem. It was like looking into a crystal ball that could tell the future. I could see a glimpse of my future in her face: it was as intricate as her face. I could see the tricks that life intended to play on me. The tricks would manifest themselves with wit, humour, solemnness, sobriety and piety throughout my life. My life would have to smile through all this and more. There would be very little choice. These tricks that life plays on us are unique and beautiful in the sense that they are put thorough our lives with pied beauty. They are put forth with such beauty and simplicity that one begins to doubt the very intentions of life. Life intends to burden us with its weight till we bend double, but the manner in which these intricacies are put before us makes life all the more gracious and beautiful.

My life becomes all the more gracious and beautiful when I think of those moments when she was facing me in the bus. These memorable moments brighten up my days because I’m jaded by the monotonous, dull and serene music that the cymbals of my life have been sounding for a long time. Although it would be quite some time for full colour to completely take over the black and white portions of my life, for the moving image of life to more or less erase the magical narrative power of the still photograph of my life, I don’t mind such entertainment every now and then, I won’t mind witnessing a pantomime the next time I’m on a bus.