After the Photo was Taken by Kristina Woodhill
Some year, some trip
Someone snapped your photo
sunny day, sky clear
Jack and Mom,
big smiles,
matching jackets,
having a ball
The Big Apple
New York, New York
Behind you
two towers christened Twins
One photo
four objects
Dates become markers
events begin the fade out
Visible then
belies the now
2001
two towers obliterated + 2,977 within the scene, unseen
2013
man breathes his last
2021
woman waves lingering goodbye
Found photo becomes a found poem,
wonders where everyone went
Why the raised eyebrows
why the wet cheeks, rumpled sleeves
A captured moment has misplaced its cage
A frame has lost all focus
09/10/2021 Author's Note: In memory of so many. Ekphrastic poems use some painting or photo (or maybe something else) as prompts. I realized a photo of my folks in front of the Twin Towers many years ago became what is no longer in the photo, where everything no longer exists.
Posted on 09/10/2021 Copyright © 2024 Kristina Woodhill
Member Comments on this Poem |
Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 09/11/21 at 02:27 AM Powerful piece of writing Kristina. Hard to believe 20 years gone by already. |
Posted by Johanna May on 09/15/21 at 02:15 AM A captured moment has misplaced its cage.
stunning! i love it when a poem hurts |
Posted by James Zealy on 09/21/21 at 03:49 AM excellent work Kristina |
Posted by Dane Campbell on 10/11/21 at 10:22 PM Hi Kristina,
First, I'd like to thank you for the kind comments you have made recently regarding my work. It is always wonderful to find a receptive audience for one's writing.
This poem is brilliant and deceptively simple in its execution. The final two lines, in particular, are devastating and evocative. "A captured moment has misplaced its cage" is one of those lines you read in a poem that you wish you had written yourself because it's just that good.
Thanks again,
Dane |
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