Great Aunt Maria? Oh,
We say nothing of her.
She was your great
Grandfather’ sister; bit
Of a lost cause, I’m afraid.
You found a photograph
Of her? Where? What were
You doing going through
Grandmother’s things and
She not yet cold in her grave.
You show Mother the photo
And she screws up her eyes,
Taking in the woman pictured
There. How could she pose
With her underclothes on and
Smoking a cigarette, too. My
God, Colin, you shouldn’t be
Looking at this, look at the pose,
The way she stands, as if posing
Like that was normal and she’s
Actually smiling. Mother puts
The photo against her breast,
Facedown, the blank off-white
Side uppermost. To think she
Was related to us. If she was a
Daughter of mine…Grandmother
Seldom spoke of her. To have
This photo in her belongings.
Mother takes a quick peep at
The photo, then turns it over
Again. If I posed like that,
Mother says, Grandfather
Would have tanned my hide.
You stand and wish she’d
Hand you back the photo,
Finders keepers kind of thing;
But no, she tucks it away in
Her apron pocket, then wipes
Her hands on the flowered
Cloth as if contaminated.
You’re glad you never
Showed her the other one
Of Great Aunt Maria; that one’s
Raunchier and much more fun.
Apr 22, 2016
Apr 22, 2016 at 3:27 AM UTC
Great Aunt Maria? Oh,
We say nothing of her.
She was your great
Grandfather’ sister; bit
Of a lost cause, I’m afraid.
You found a photograph
Of her? Where? What were
You doing going through
Grandmother’s things and
She not yet cold in her grave.
You show Mother the photo
And she screws up her eyes,
Taking in the woman pictured
There. How could she pose
With her underclothes on and
Smoking a cigarette, too. My
God, Colin, you shouldn’t be
Looking at this, look at the pose,
The way she stands, as if posing
Like that was normal and she’s
Actually smiling. Mother puts
The photo against her breast,
Facedown, the blank off-white
Side uppermost. To think she
Was related to us. If she was a
Daughter of mine…Grandmother
Seldom spoke of her. To have
This photo in her belongings.
Mother takes a quick peep at
The photo, then turns it over
Again. If I posed like that,
Mother says, Grandfather
Would have tanned my hide.
You stand and wish she’d
Hand you back the photo,
Finders keepers kind of thing;
But no, she tucks it away in
Her apron pocket, then wipes
Her hands on the flowered
Cloth as if contaminated.
You’re glad you never
Showed her the other one
Of Great Aunt Maria; that one’s
Raunchier and much more fun.
A BOY AND HIS MOTHER AND AN OLD PHOTOGRAPH
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