sooner or later everything comes to the face;
you face up
and move along
something pulls the chin
or turns up in the eyes,
nerves fire, the brain squawks
and takes the landscape of your thought
memory flares the nose and expression
keeps to schedule
fingers grip the head and spirits rise
in the world the face puts on
this year the face has been reliable,
all things considered,
stimulation being a matter of degree
and the right tools
watch your friends lower
their hands, authors
crossing out dialog
the cast looks at itself
and the smooth conditioned
muscles of your mouth rehearse
we earn our applause
let's face it