The eyes behind the page
Like shadows in the dark
The flicker of a candle
Like the flash of lightning
They come and go
I see the eyes of someone
Or the eyes of people
Peer behind the pages that hold me captive
I yell endlessly
I try aimlessly
Repeatedly trying to grab the attention of the reader
Different eyes have come and gone
But there’s one that remains on my mind
Like a distant, yet distinct memory
These eyes are different
Last Monday
I saw a pair of beautiful brown eyes
But, today, they’re different
An intense gaze of piercing blue eyes
I watch
As they quickly skim through the pages
They remind me of the cold of snow
A feeling I’ve grown numb to
Unable to escape the walls that hold me captive
Only able to peer into those eyes of my watcher
Like a haunting
The eyes are the window to the soul they say
I now realize that sometimes I see more than I wish to see
These eyes tell a story
One I can’t seem to recognize
Like trying to recollect memories of a distant childhood
Or do I see eyes filled with love, hatred, or contempt?
There it is…
A feeling I haven’t felt
Confusion…
I want to reach out and yell for help like I always do
But my voice seems to be stuck in my throat
Out of fascination?
Or out of fear…
I want all this to stop
Sometimes I which I was the one behind the pages
One of those eyes
Unaware of the prison these pages entailed
But low and behold
Here I remain
Trapped in here for eternity
Like a broken mirror,
With numerous broken images
I can only watch your eyes
I wonder if you see me too?
If only you can come to the realization that
I’m a character stuck in this book
Maybe, then
I may be free
But what happens after my freedom?
No one knows
One thing I know?
Is that this a prison
One which must hold a prisoner
So, I’ll go on
Hoping…
Waiting…
On a lost dream
That despite the sacrifice
I too,
May be free
So,
Here I’ll wait
As I watch those eyes
Behind the Page
By Chimezirim Evelyn Opara