When Our Backs Are Turned

Our faces describe us, define us. Or so we think. Red Dino wonders if there is more to be said about (and by) our backs or if it is all a front. 

 

Transcription:

People are adept at hiding their emotions. Their faces less often poker, more likely a mask. But with all our gazes fixed on the eyes, the twitch of the brows, the movement of the lips, with our guard up against this keen and constant assessment, we all forget to look at, to train our backs.  

Have you ever thought: 

"Is my shoulder too stiff, can people tell I'm uncomfortable?" 

"Is my spine too straight, is my pride palpable?"

"Is my head lower than usual, does the curve of my neck scream my disappointment?" 

I haven't. I don't. Fixing my face seems enough most of the time. But we forget, we carry our lives on our backs. 

Time bends our spine; our age and baggage both weighing down our bodies. No wonder we lose a few inches if we're lucky enough to last that long. 

And yet, we hide behind niceties, polite expressions pasted on permanently, sham ingrained in our DNA. 

Despite all this effort, all the pain we take to hide our true selves, we forget there's more to an interaction than what's said, what's shown, what's heard. 

Backs turned, we feel safe, find respite, confident that our gazillion tricks have worked. While it's the same view that proves our undoing. 

At this juncture, there lay two roads ahead of us: 

Either, we train our backs as we have done our faces; ready to fake at a moment's notice. 

Or We train our minds and hearts to let go. We find our peace in telling our stories without filter, fear, or falsities. 

And until we reach a decision, all we can do is...smile and wave.

 

Our Website: https://likeridingafish.wixsite.com/my-site

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

 

Music Credits:

https://freemusicarchive.org

"Woke up this Morning (TP 53)” by Till Paradiso 

License: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode) 

 

Background sound from Pixabay