To Know A Face Poem by Ananta Madhavan

To know a face
Return a thousand times,
And scrutinise

Each vibrant grace,
Each shadow of surprise
That fleets across

The den of crimes
Beneath the tell-tale eyes.
To map a face

Survey the gross
Promontories and capes,
And learn to trace

The creasy track
Where grief pursues the past.
To scan a face

Forget the shapes
Your hands and visions raise,
And, tearing back

Each mask, unhinge
The layers of deceit,
Until at last

There comes the maze
Where memories retreat
In thwarted quest

Of rest, and cringe
Before a host of fears,
Return, repeat

The eyes' behest
Within a web of tears
To love a face.