As a small child
I saw faces everywhere
weeping women in the curve of the river
old men in the shadow of twisted bark
As I grew older
there were monsters as well as people
watching carefully for me to stumble
The forest still greets me
with a thousand faces
but I am person
and monster enough
to love them all
What we see is always our own mirror
Even in a landscape devoid of people, we still bring ourselves with us.
For more faces of the human and inhuman, my fantasy novel, The Guests of Honor, is available here. Its sequel, With Honor Intact, can be found here.
Cat Amesbury 