Tuesday, March 06, 2007

a post with the picture missing

at the foot of the wall, a figure sits hunched over a paper-plate containing some rice and daal. Impossibly thin, sinewy arms poke out of a threadbare blanket thrown around its shoulders to keep the winter morning chill out.

He has a stubble and a bony head that makes him look ancient. A few tattered rags cover his wispy white hair. Thick dirty glasses dominate the face - their frame held together by some kind of tape - probably the result of long-ago operation to remove cataracts in some rural eye camp around here. I doubt he can see anything but the vaguest of blurs.

As he hungrily shovels food into his mouth, I consider taking a picture. But something about the idea strikes me as sacrilegious, so I put my camera away. He notices me and turns to look up. Hugely magnified eyes crinkle up and, like a burst of fireworks, a giant toothless grin reaches out from ear to ear on his shriveled face.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

viewless vision....

nice.

--
!

Falstaff said...

Good one.

Revealed said...

Magnifique! (though for one second, I thought I was in the wrong blog!)

(the problem about writing posts like this is you can't have a proper discussion in the comments section cos you've basically silenced the reader)

Heh Heh said...

!? : Thanks

falstaff: thanks

revealed: i sense an implied sledge there but i am going to let that pass :)

Revealed said...

After all my generous appreciation! *sigh*

Heh Heh said...

revealed: tsk tsk. the world is such an ungrateful place, no?

Tabula Rasa said...

@revealed: yup, wrong blog.

or maybe it's because he tried to get rid of the sixteen other selves.

Revealed said...

Or maybe he developed a new one?? How interesting!! :P

But before you say nething else, be warned! He'll start accusing you of slights and what not! *is depressed by the intimation of the ingratitude of the world supplied by a very wise person*

Heh Heh said...

TR: what sixteen others? :)

revealed: awwww. i am *so* sorry. here, dry your eyes. :)

FYI, all: this post was written a couple of months ago. i just hadn't bothered to put it up. it belonged in the piece about the temple that *none* of you commented on.

Brown Magic said...

my, you are getting rather snippy in the comment space. is it that time of the month?

Heh Heh said...

and you, my dear bm, are getting all mellow in your old age - going around telling kids not to be mouthy.
btw, does that mean i'm an exhausting conversation partner?

Anonymous said...

First time here. I shall be back. (Oooo I always wanted to say that).

Heh Heh said...

ph: I know a ph who has commented here before. But maybe you are not that ph.

Brown Magic said...

old age? mellow?

bite me.

Revealed said...

I *knew* that calling you a very wise person would work!
*accepts what she hopes was a handkerchief and revives from depression*

Btw, very good pickup on creepiness factor! I'm *actually* impressed :)

Szerelem said...

Nice.
Nothing more to say is there - I agree with revealed - you've basically silenced the reader :)

Heh Heh said...

bm: i'm sorry, did i offend you?

revealed: ahem. wise? me?? Oh, thank you thank you. nobody has ever called me wise. I am *so* touched.

szerelem: thanks. also, i love that song. szerelem, that is.

Anonymous said...

hello,
that be a brilliant picture too that you transcribed.
cheers
A