PORTRET ZŁOŻONY Z REKWIZYTÓW | PORTRAIT COMPOSED OF PROPS

Once, they painted the face.

Then they found that the face is not enough.

For a human is not made of nose, lips, and gaze.

He is made of things.

Of a mug he cannot throw away.

Of a coat he never wears, but keeps.

Of a book read too soon.

Of a message left unanswered.

Of a key to an apartment that no longer exists.

Arcimboldo built people out of fruit. We build them out of props.

The forehead—from pages filled with other people’s sentences.

An eye—from a small stage spotlight.

The other eye—from a mirror that reflects nothing.

The nose—from a microphone.

A cheek—from a train ticket.

The lips—from staples and a torn envelope.

The neck—from a velvet curtain.

And suddenly, something strange occurs.

We look at this portrait and recognize the person.

Though not a single fragment of flesh is there.

Perhaps because we were never body to begin with.

We were a collection of traces.

We do not remember ourselves.

We remember our objects.

We remember the scent of the foyer.

The layout of the chairs.

A hand resting on the handrail.

A ticket slipped into a pocket.

And when, years later, we try to say: “This is me”— It is not a face we show.

We show a prop.