August of 1995
Elizabeth Ann Marshall (2005)
We’ve returned to the past tonight.
Returned to ourselves- and to each other,
And to boxes of photographs.
These pictures when we sort them
Take on new shapes,
Your sister, my mother, our lovers, our dear ones
Transform time, transform each other.
They are our loves, our enigmas, our chameleons.
We have returned to sort through the boxes-
And to compile our pictures into one album,
No longer separate and complete,
No longer frozen in time in their various poses
But combined- and neutral.
Neutral as the flashing light of the motel sign-
Vacancy- Vacancy , the steady neon rhythm illuminates
Our faces , our histories, our bodies intertwined.
Later, in the tranquility of a 5 A.M dawn
We press our lips to the cool,smoothness of our photographs,
Blow these things a kiss good-bye
And take a new picture.
