1663-Rembrandt-eyes.combo....2...
That white spot
by Patrick T. Reardon

We share that white spot on the tip of our large noses.
We share that inward gaze.
We look worn, eroded.

The questions buzz along the edges of my screen.
Your paintings have no answers.

Word after word, brush stroke after brush stroke.

What else to do?

PAINTING: “Self-Portrait with Two Circles,” by Rembrandt van Rijn, painted around 1660 when Rembrandt was in his mid-50s.

PHOTOGRAPH: Patrick T. Reardon in the early 1990s when he was in his early 40s.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I’ve always been fascinated by Rembrandt’s self-portraits, especially his eyes. So I isolated his eyes, and saw how they looked next to my eyes. And wrote.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patrick T. Reardon, who is no Rembrandt, has been writing for publications for more than 50 years.