Author: Alzo David-West

Today, my face fell off. It has a habit of doing that sometimes, but it doesn’t really bother me. Have you ever wondered why your face doesn’t fall off?

I have a headache once in a while. It comes and goes, so I scratch my temple. That’s usually when the face falls off. I put it back on again. However, this time, I decided not to. Everything inside was exposed. I don’t feel anything. I look at my eyebrows on my face. I’m holding it in my hands. They’re black eyebrows and bushy. Have you heard of Golgo 13? They look something like his eyebrows.

I took a breath. Then, I walked to the kitchen sink, and I washed my hands. The water pours over them, down into the sink. My hands are veiny. They’ve always been veiny. I like to look at the water rolling on my hands. The water goes into the drain. I turn off the tap. I don’t have to wash my hands, but I do every day, and I clean under my fingernails. Dirt accumulates. Washing hands is good hygiene. After all, so many people touch things. I wouldn’t want to catch anything or spread it to someone else.

On the afternoon bus, I held a metal bar above my head. The bar was cold. After a stop, some people got off, and others moved forward. I moved forward too, and I held another part of the bar. It was warm from a person’s hand, so I moved my hand back to where it was. Then, I forgot about that for a while. I later took the train. The whole time, I stood, except after my transfer stop. I got a seat on the next train. My feet were achy, but my face was still on, so there was no hassle. My face has never fallen off on the train, but there’ve been times when I had to adjust things a little.

Before I took the bus, someone said, “Hello,” to me. She was walking with a girlfriend. I thought I recognized the greeter. I said, “Hi,” in return, and I waved to both of them. I thought I remembered who the first girl was, someone from work on Wednesday. But after I took the train, got home, and before my face fell off, I realized she was someone else, from last year. Or at least, I think she was. Does that happen to you sometimes? Do you mix people up in your mind? I have a good visual sense, but there’re so many people over such a long time, all the faces become overcrowded. I’m not sure who wears faces and who doesn’t. It’s polite not to ask.

After I washed my hands, I thought a little, and I changed my formal clothes. I lay down on the wooden floor. I don’t have any furniture or furnishings. I like the hard floor. It feels better that way. I feel more comfortable. It doesn’t hurt, not for me anyway.

My face fell off before I washed my hands. I picked it up. When I was done looking at it, I put it on the low folding table in my kitchen-dining room. My face is still on the table. I’ll put it on later. I don’t have to wear it every time, especially at home.

Before I lay down, I walked around the room even though I’d walked a lot outside, in the train stations, and on the road. I mostly stood at work. There’re times I sit too. What would you do if your face fell off at work?

I walked to the mirror cabinet over the sink, in the same room, next to the shower door. I looked at my face, or, what’s behind my face. It’s not metal. It’s not wires. It’s not gears or chords. It’s just a space, a void, and, there, a tiny green pepper seed.