Stand up straight, don’t make a face,
Fix your collar—know your place.
Hands behaved, don’t drag your feet,
A perfect child, so small, so neat.
Smile wide, let no one see,
The part of you that isn’t free.
A family framed, so proud, so tall,
A happy home—or so they call.
Green velour, a little grin,
Hiding everything within.
A flash, a snap, a moment caught,
A memory you never sought.
They see love, they see grace,
They never saw the other face.
The one that flinched, the one that knew,
What happened right before the view.
So up it hung, so big, so bright,
A picture bathed in perfect light.
And there you are, still frozen in time,
Smiling like you’re doing fine.
The last family photo we took, i was about 7, i was wearing a green velour suit, my brothers, my sister, my step dad, my mom and new baby brother. right before the photo i got in trouble, i was probably being uncooperative or didnt want to smile idk, but i got handled, and then right before the photo, i "fixed my face" and they got the photo, that photo hung in our house, every time i see it to this day, i see how i was crying, i see how I'm barely holding it together and i see how we all look so happy and well behaved but we were really just under control.