POEM: I Can See It in Your Eyes

This poem was written in 2020, amidst the global pandemic. It was first published at Whitby Public Library – Archives, in January 2021.

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I Can See It in Your Eyes

The world is sick, and we wear masks.

We don’t hug, don’t kiss, don’t keep close.

We cover our faces to protect our bodies.

But it’s not just our faces that we cover.

We cover smiles.

We cover words.

We cover feelings.

We cover truths.

I can no longer wear lipstick.

The mask is the new lipstick.

We make fashion out of masks,

For we love fashion,

And we still want it to show on us.

We wear dazzled masks just like we used to wear dazzled dresses and stilettos not long ago.

We can no longer talk to each other like before.

Our words are muffled now.

We must speak louder to say the same things,

The same feelings,

The same truths.

Our smiles are hidden, and we can no longer see each other smiling from behind our masks.

But I can see your smile in your eyes.

You can see my smile in my eyes.

We can see it in each other’s eyes.

We smile with our eyes.

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From my book of poetry Sunset in Toronto, page 75.