Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: SPARKLE (08/19/21)
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TITLE: Smile of Joy, Eyes of Sorrow | Previous Challenge Entry
By Samuel Kane
08/25/21 -
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Those words seemed mysterious at first. They left me feeling almost naked, exposed. I feared that my every effort of self-preservation had been thwarted; that my protective walls could be brought crashing to the ground by a single piercing gaze. And yet, there seems to be a certain wisdom to that statement.
Shakespeare is credited with saying that the eyes are the window to the soul, that you can ascertain a great amount of a person’s character by gazing into their eyes.
Take a look at these photographs for example: the family outing, the work party, the ID badge. All of them have the same word behind the camera: “Cheese!”
Yet, look beyond the shy smiles or the toothy grins, and you’ll see why so many resent the bidimensional prison that traps them in that timeless, spaceless frame. Look at the eyes. Do they have that same sparkle, or are they devoid of inner joy in that moment? Perhaps the figure looks down in disgust at their depiction because they fear a sense of hypocrisy, of fallacy tracing back to the deepest spring of their soul. No dry word could bring authenticity in their smile – they despise it for they find no joy within their eyes.
So, what brings forth authentic joy? What call will summon Euphrosyne’s comforting embrace? Perhaps it is the actors in life’s great play that truly get close to you – those whose compassion binds to your heart.
You look upon their face whenever they walk into a room, and your eyes light up. Their excited laughter rings through the air and the sparkle emerges. They bring serenity to your mind during the chaos, an aid throughout the adventure, and a shoulder to cry on during the heartbreak. There seems to be no battle you cannot face, and no grief you cannot overcome with joy.
But what happens when the sparkle is gone?
“Just put on a brave face” some say, but how can you do that when your world stops spinning? You awkwardly approach them with a slight smile in a desperate attempt to engage in idle conversation, to paint a picture that you’re not coughing in the suffocating smoke that fills your mind. Yet all your efforts are wasted; they can see through every bit of it. Your eyes no longer light up when they smile. It is as though your heart has been torn from your chest and slathered unceremoniously across your sleeve. You are an open book: naked and exposed.
You may try to cover up your torment with some philosophical discourse and Shakespearean quotation, but they need only to look in your eyes to bore into your soul, to see your deepest feelings, desires, and fears.
“The eyes are the window to the soul.” Yet what if they are not the ultimate treacherous confidant, but are instead a great friend, opening the door for true bonds and community.
What do you do when the glow of joy reignites in your eyes: when the ocular bleakness fades away with the entrance of another true companion, and you pray that the sparkling flame may never be quenched?
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Such an insightful and powerful piece, it was so touching it was palpable.
Blessings~