Photogaph

Written at 18, a poem of growth.

Do you still have your photograph
From Graduation Day?
The one that captured your youth
When you didn’t understand the truth
That the pain still stays
Long after memory has gone
I know how you feel
Viewing the world through a camera lens
The shutter clicks
The picture comes out unclear
But then
Neither did your ideals
Oh, and I know how you feel
The war against the heart and mind
That leaves an open sore
Scarred from love
Only to remind you
It was the first time
So don’t change your mind
You survive the years ahead
When you leave the years behind
Framed in tinted glass
A memory from your past
You will soon forget

Do you still have that Kodachrome fantasy
On your dressing table?
Yes, I know how you feel
Because the memory is so real
But if your spirit is free
Then this snapshot is on me
In black and white