A Face in the Water

A Face in the Water

You see an unfamiliar face,
Swirling in the shallow waves whipped up by an autumn breeze.
“Is that a stranger?” you stop to question,
Not realizing it was you.

You see the lines and valleys running through the ancient countenance,
The sands of time have passed beneath your notice—
The grains slip through the cracks of your closed fists,
and the dunes pile high despite your best efforts to stop them.

You see your own reflection,
But it doesn’t register anymore,
And before you can familiarize yourself with it again,
The winds shuffle the watery ridges until only the silhouette remains.