The Weight of a Glance

I was standing in the grocery store aisle this morning, trying to decide between two brands of tea, when a little girl in the next row caught me staring. She was hiding behind her mother’s coat, peeking out with eyes that seemed to hold a thousand questions. For a second, I felt like an intruder. I quickly looked away, suddenly aware of how heavy a gaze can be when it is directed at someone who isn’t ready to be seen. We spend so much of our lives trying to capture things—moments, people, memories—as if we have the right to own them. But there is a quiet power in knowing when to step back. Sometimes, the most honest way to witness another person is to acknowledge the boundary between us, to let them exist in their own space without demanding they perform for our benefit. It is a fragile, beautiful thing to be seen only as much as one is willing to be.

Moslem Azimi has captured this exact feeling in the beautiful image titled Innocent Eyes. It reminds me that the best stories are often the ones we allow to remain slightly guarded. What do you see when you look into those eyes?