This poem was written after watching Face/Off for the second time (it’s now one of my favorite movies). It’s about the concept of having no face, but still being a human being. I’m not a big fan of this poem, but let’s see what you think.
Nameless, Faceless
What is the name of a man
who has no face?
and I don’t mean just having no eyes,
or nose,
or mouth,
or even hair and ears,
cheeks that would still exist
wrinkles in the image.
No, I mean having nothing – no face
means no skin at all
like surgical precision has removed
all features, displaced all skin, to leave… what.
Blood and matter? No, even that
is gone and so all that remains is
The skull. Cracked?
No, intact, cradling the brain so that
this faceless being still lives with blood
moving through the rest of its skinned bodice.
Can this creature still see? Yes and No.
while the brain wants to be able to experience
the wonder of sight, the eyes are disconnected
from the being forcing blindness
Can this creature still hear? Yes and No.
the brain remains able to function as normal
but without the orifice of sound
it falls under the category of deafness
Can this creature still smell? Yes and No.
without the particularity of the nose
to allow the smells to intrude the brain
the being must have anosmia to exist
Can this creature still talk? Yes and No.
since the mouth does not exist
and yet the brain attempts to speak its lost voice
no sound appears to be made
Is this creature still alive? Can you call this thing a living being?
Yes and No.
But does a faceless being still have a name?
Monahan's Mind 