Seen and Not Seen

He would see faces in movies, on TV, in magazines and in books

He thought that some of these faces might be right for him

And that through the years, by keeping an ideal facial structure fixed in his mind

Or somewhere in the back of his mind

That he might, by force of will, cause his face to approach those of his ideal

The change would be very subtle

It might take ten years or so

Gradually, his face would change its shape

A more hooked nose

Wider, thinner lips

Beady eyes

A larger forehead

He imagined that this was an ability he shared with most other people

They had also molded their faces according to some ideal

Maybe they imagined their new face would better suit their personality

Or maybe they imagined that their personality would be forced to change to fit the new appearance

This is why first impressions are often correct

Although some people might have made mistakes

They may have arrived at an appearance that bears no relationship to them

They may have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish whim or momentary impulse

Some may have gotten halfway there

And then changed their minds

He wonders if he too might have made a similar mistake