The Smile Behind the Camera

“We need some pictures before you go.”
All lined up for Granny’s show,
Brothers, cousins, generations three,
in the dining room, posed to a tee.

With each click, she’d laugh, we’d grin,
Take extra shots to get the right one in.
Sometimes we’d sigh or roll an eye,
But wouldn’t resist; we did comply.

We were all too young to understand.
Thought Granny’s photos would never end.
The shutter was silenced by our tears.
Her absence echoed through this year.

Now I sift through boxes and files,
Looking back on those captured smiles.
Though her face hides from the frame,
Her spirit there is just the same.

Every lineup, posed with care,
It’s she who fills the space we share.
What I’d give for one more smile,
One more photo; just one more while.