reading your facial expressions

i interpret screenplay,

dramatizations of us

rendered larger than life

 

in a rousing performance of scientific discovery

you softly diagnose anatomical anomalies:

brow bone, lumbar vertebrae, clavicle –

skin-adhered-eyes in lab-issue goggles, curiosity unchecked,

filing ethics approval for research inquiries

 

you pull me

to the edge of my seat,

perch me to simultaneously observe

your head in the world

& the world in your head

 

i could rewind

the thinning film reel;

stop the silver-corroded negatives:

at you, an unseasoned sailor,

milk-soft palms setting course in stormy waters

catching saltwater in your knitted jumper,

buoying me when i’m broken, lost at sea

 

curtains may fall

seats might empty

this theatre can close –

i will remain – applauding encore

against your color fading, encore

against darkness settling

encore ∎

 

Words by Yasmin Rafiei. Photograph by Daisy Lynch.