Snapshot Selfies

A few years ago I lost my photographs. It touched me deeply, because these were the memories of my life. Moments with family and friends captured on paper. Physical evidence that I existed in the world, and was connected to people. Photographs showed that I loved, laughed, cried. They celebrated my achievements, failures, and even the mundane. They testified of who I was, where I’ve been, and where I am now.

            At times they were vibrant and bold, colorful banter of laughter and fun. Or grave black and white scenes, pressed deeply into the paper, and my heart. As I selected the poems for this collection, I realized that they were like my photographs. Each one a snapshot of me at a particular moment in time.

            So, who am I?

            Daughter. Wife. Mother. Grandmother. These titles describe me, but yet, they say so little of who I truly am. Artist, dreamer, or writer comes closer, but still there is much more beneath these layers. Seeker, prodder of dragons, and prophet. Healer, healed, and scarred. Child, youth and adult. These are all words, snapshot selfies, of me. Like these poems they reveal facetted scenes of me and my truth.