There I am, freshly straightened smile, <br />features still familiar in that academic pose- <br />the round cheeks, the wonder in the eyes, <br />the youthful bronze of leisure all obvious enough. <br /> <br />What remains out of view, just below the pearls <br />along the frame's bottom edge, are the freckled <br />souvenirs of those precious college summers, <br />and my left hand, home to pen, paintbrush, <br /> <br />and eventually, a brilliant symbol of a union <br />in gold. In my right, if you could see it, rests <br />a thin red leash to my best friend, who led me <br />through my childhood as best she could on all fours. <br /> <br />This particular shot overlooks the knees, <br />the left later patched like a snow tire - <br />a permanent Alpine lesson in limitations - <br />along with lesser scars and psychological sutures; <br /> <br />merit badges earned crossing childhood's bridge. <br />Shame you'll miss the feet, pointed parallel, <br />forever forward, walking me fearlessly to my future <br />where I learned to write poems about the past.<br /><br />Lori Boulard<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/003-senior-portrait-1986/
