Sublime

We saw thanaka in Mandalay and Rangoon, too. It’s the only part of this town that feels real, the only glimpse of these women’s true selves. The designs hint at this one’s pluck, that one’s sense of humor.

When I was twenty-five, I thought I’d never have to look at this version of my face. I had romantic notions of dying in action before wrinkles ever set in, but here I am, looking every bit my forty-two years of age. Living hard doesn’t mean dying early; sometimes it just means those hard years end up on your face.