The Summer She Died |
Rest in peace. That just about says
Everything—for her, but not for me. My shaky hands hold
The photo, her face less than the size of my thumb.
Unless I’m mistaken, my sister seems
Relaxed, standing out in the back yard
Next to the orange tree the summer she died.
Perhaps this is how memory works now.
Longing that never, never
Ends and always finds
Another missing piece. Like her
Smile, not in this picture, but
Ever on her face.
Based on a photo with the words “Please return” handwritten on the bottom of the photograph
“Other People’s Memories
Found Photos/A Dialogue WithThe Anonymous”
Curator, Paula Gray
Mendocino College Art Gallery
September 13—October 11, 2007
copyright 2007
Eloise Klein
Healy |