Candid Camera
Arthur Gottlieb
in early evening
dressed to go nowhere
but your consciousness-
raising class,
you leave me
with a long last look
saying something like:
“Step back a bit. Give
me some space.”
seeing shock
you smile and snap
a picture of my amazement
with an imaginary camera.
barely breathing
i pose for your photo.
never looking
over my shoulder
i step back
into the past
fade fast out of the picture
finally in a freefall
like a cartoon comic off a cliff
backwards into the black
of undeveloped negatives.
