Flaw

"You are a wonderful creation. You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know." A Picture Of Dorian Gray.

It's gaze met the eyes of passers by
from the wall for many years.
Dust gathered at the edges
creating a bottle neck of brown where
there should be red.
With his one eye,
he cherished that painting.
It radiated red and life.
He could not see the cracks,
scars, light faded patches.
For him only delicate brush strokes, perspective and clarity.
Sunlight streaked in behind the curtain
as she blinked, for the first time.
With cracks and scars persisting,
their gaze met as dust filtered through the shaft of light.
For him, that radiation remained.
Tears roll down his face as he dropped to his knees, smiling.
She shook her head, looking directly at his eye.
Turning away, resolved, back into paint.