Recollection

I love the way a photograph can call
To mind the memory of times long gone.
You come across the camping scene and soon
You smell the ‘mallows roasting in the fire
And feel the dancing warmth upon your skin.
You look around at faces shadowed there
And faintly hear the echo of the songs,
The giggles, and the screams from ghostly tales.
You feel a shoulder snuggle close to yours—
All this from one small picture in your hand.

About the poem:

The coffee table is currently littered with old photos. My daughter’s graduation reception was held this past weekend, and we pulled out the large bins of photos to find some suitable for her memory board.

The scene described above is not from an actual photo. Well, there have been similar photos, but I cannot find them now. However, the image remains in my mind of nights when we gathered—and still do—around the fire pit in the backyard or at a campground, roasting marshmallows, eating S’mores, singing songs with the guitar, and just talking and laughing and having a wonderful time. My Aunt MR was the best for telling ghost stories. Oh, she could make your skin crawl! Great memories… some distant, others not so very long ago.

With or without photographs, I hope you too are making memories with your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. In the comments below, tell me about your fondest memories.

Copyright © 2018 Abigail Gronway – All Rights Reserved

Scansion:
Sonnetina Uno
blank verse: 10 unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter