attention as first seduction

oh, my.

Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash

What if we’ve gotten the art of seduction all wrong, it being sold to us historically as projection, deflection and trick mirrors? I used to think distance and mystery equalled intrigue and desire. These days, I desire something of a different ilk.

True seduction is rarer, simpler, and more intentional. It is the art of the slower burn, a longer gaze. Oh, for the kind of deep watching, listening and learning that refuses to dart away. The patience to see what something, someone or some place becomes. Deep attention, now, feels almost erotic; a person concentrating entirely on you and what you are saying; a person who watches your face as you are talking, a person who lets silence stretch long enough for nonverbal truth to arrive.