Looking Forward by Gabriel Delgado
some people are drawn to
the eyes
others moved
by the smile
or the lips
still others feel the tug
of the heart
in the voice
in a gesture
in a mannerism
of the other
for me
it is and was and will
always be
the brows;
those thick russet ridges
framing those beautiful
enchanting
eyes.
Always at the edge; bordering, supporting, outlining and framing the past and the future. Simply amazing.
Her Two Cents offers daily commentary on missed connections selected to appear on Lovelorn Poets.
Her Two Cents on Framing
I don’t think I’ve ever read such a heartfelt ode to eyebrows. In fact, the eyebrows are one of those bodily adornments that I’ve never given much attention to beyond when that one, crazy-long hair asserts itself (and is promptly trimmed). Thanks to your compelling words, dear Portland poet, I will have to make a concerted effort to discretely notice these frames of the past and future.
Gentle Readers: Let us take a moment to reflect upon the human eyebrow. While women often pluck and wax their brows to no end, it appears to be a less common (or more secretive) practice for men. Would it matter to you if the man in your life shaped his brows? Would you encourage him to? (and if you did, would he??)
Unless you’re dating Andy Rooney or the “Unibrowe,” it would be hard to see that as the solution to “that certain something (“if only his eyebrows were a little more trimmed”)–I think I’d be reluctant to engage in a relationship under that level of scrutiny (heaven forbid they saw my plaid shirt collection…). What is the logic for women doing it anyway?
Not to get into the rationale of female beautification techniques, but I think part of the reason women shape their brows is to make the eye area more appealing. There are men who routinely get manicures (and of course, there are men who get their hair cut every other week) so perhaps the male eyebrow trimming is and outgrowth of that. Yes, that lame pun was intended.