This month’s Self Portrait Challenge is “Pop Art.” I wasn’t really sure what approach to take this week. I’ve always liked the use of eyes in art, it seems like the art piece is looking at you while you look at it. So I decided to start with that. Here it is, my eye:

I’ve always been told over the years that my eyes are my most striking feature. As you can see from the big eye in the center, they are a deep blue rimmed in indigo. Even though the color is what is most commented on, I don’t think that’s the reason that people notice my eyes. I think that it’s because when I look at you, I really see you. I see your body, the way you carry your shoulders and how you present your physical self to the world. I watch your eyes, waiting for them to meet mine so I can look deep inside you and find your soul. I see the laugh lines around your mouth, noticing how they complete the soft beauty of your face. I notice you nervously crack your knuckles or tuck back the stubborn strand of hair that keeps falling across your face. I take you in, fully and completely, because I want to see who you really are.

A lifetime time spent with an uncomfortable awareness of my own body has made me extremely attentive to every minute detail of yours. And though this may catch you off guard, I believe that there is a brief moment of relief that comes when you realize that you’ve met someone who sees you, all of you, and loves you even more for it. My gift to you is ultimate and infinite acceptance and appreciation for the real you, the you that I see.