Faces I See

Her eyes closed tightly, head tilted down-- she covered her ears to block out the sound. Yet the cacophony of noise came from her soul, void of all joy, like a death bell it tolled. Scared to see, more afraid to be blind, she peeked out her eyelids to ease her mind. There, only feet from where she cowered was a raging madwoman who'd been screaming for hours. Though the mouth gaped open, ready to rant, the stifled, strained utterance was raspy and scant-- and the look in her eyes said, "I want to, but cant'." And then to her left, just as near, was a terrified woman, crippled by fear. Her eyes were bulging, her lips hung open wide, but she kept her terror locked inside. Directly behind was a woman who stood, as tall and as strong and as long as she could. And indeed it seemed she had done so for years-- as her legs had all but withered and disappeared. She had not sat to eat, or for rest or play-- there was too much conquest to achieve each day! But--having remained so for so long, she was now just a shell: the interior gone. And then, in the distance, all around her saw she women bereft, weeping silently. Cheeks saturated by stealthy tears had left faces damaged from crying for years. The lips only quivered, never even once parting, and the sound was a sob, never really quite starting. All in all it was dreadful, but moreover, intriguing. Who were all these women she was now seeing? How long had they been here and why in such dismay? Each one suffering severely in her own special way? However, before she could ask them all, "Who...?" A voice interrupted and she immediately knew. She gathered her wits, wrapped herself in an embrace, and slowly made her way out of that mirrored place. For the answer spoken to the question now asked was, "We're you."