Eyes

Written and photographed by Chih-Hao Wu

His gaze swept across the laminated floor an inch ahead of my toe,

and drifted out the glass window, without hesitation.
Perhaps to mountains afar, resting like a kestrel against the headwind.
Looking back, he twisted his neck to glace the top of infectious waste bin,
and, before it was in focus, dived to explore the fake woodgrain.
The headlight could not bright his teeth, I cannot find his pupil,
Tsahaylu is only a myth on planet Pandora.
His lips trembled slightly, leaking words trapped in suspended bubbles,
breathing in/out, the dim warmth barely noticeable.
I, by an arm-wide oceanic trench, like a frustrated lover,
until my hands are covered with gloves,
repair tiny tooth with delicate tools,
and nod silently under the father’s guidance (thank you).
I guess,
the camera shutter never caught his eye.

About the Author

Dr. Chih-Hao Wu
is the Director of Family Dentistry at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Fourth Chairman of the Kuroshio Ocean Educational Foundation.

Dr. Wu moved to Hualien and has served at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital for 15 years. In recent years, he focuses his effort on establishing dental treatment and early intervention for children with physical and mental disability.

At the age of 17, he was inspired by the master photographer YiZhong Ruan’s “Lost” published on the Renjian Magazine and has been deeply influenced by the magazine’s photojournalism ever since. At the age of 30, he apprenticed under Baugu Anao to learn black-and-white photography and darkroom print processing. His favorite photographers in Taiwan also include Xiaorong Guan, Jingtai He, Yongjie Zhang, etc. Directed and shot by Xiangyu Liu and Jianli Lin. The documentary film “A Small Doctor in A Small Town of Mountain And Sea” featuring Dr. Wu’s personal story has won the Huilan Award in the documentary category at the 2010 Huilan Art Exhibition.