glassine

how much
of what
we see
in a photo
is obscured?
all the action
blurred
or stopped
before
the click
of the shutter.
how much
more can
i tell
about
the photo
when
i pull it
out
of this
withered
glassine sleeve?



this past
year
i feel
like i
have gotten
closer
to my father.
we are very
different
he and i.
and have often
fought
like
cats
over
territory.
but this
year
something happened
and i
let go a little
(so did he).
listened a little.
(so did he).
had a little less to prove.
(so did he).

he didn't get
along
with his own dad.
he won't admit that
now but
my mother tells me
this to be true.
i told him
i don't want
to be
sentimental
about him
when he's gone.
i want to
appreciate
him
now.
i am getting
a little better
at that.

we
are still
so different.

i sent him
a poem
that
i loved
and he said,
billy collins
leaves me completely
cold.

that made me
sad,
a bit.

then he
send me
this poem:

Why the Dinosaurs Died

No one
taught them to say
"Thank you"
or
"Excuse me"
or
"I'm sorry"

Their endless rudeness,
their ignorance of basic manners,
created infinite feuds.

Finally no
one was speaking
to anyone else.

They died of loneliness.


—Linda D. Addison

and
this poem too...

and
i realized
that
we weren't
as different
as i thought.
with
or
without
the glassine sleeve.

thanks
for listening.



xo