They Face Us

Porcelain pale, they are the faces
of children looking out at the world
with innocence awakening and sometimes
in grave displeasure. But immutable
all, frozen in their briefly-caught
attitudes of response to their very
verisimilitude to the human condition.

Artefacts of who we are, what we
will become, reflecting diversity of
character, personality and physical
dimensions of childhood aspiring to
maturity; we see reflections of obduracy
hesitation, gladness, apprehension,
confusion, delight and morose sullenness.

Lifelike in their impressionable
attitudes, they are reflective of us.
Absent the divine spark, they remain
tender mockeries, beautiful three-
dimensional miniatures of ourselves.

Comic-tragic, appealing or demanding,
in those cold and lifeless painted
features we see our emotions
indelibly reflected. They face us
with a passion of spirit not their own.