The Photograph That Comes With The Frame Poem by Raj Dronamraju

The photograph that comes with the frame is a family portrait
Slightly older husband in a gray suit
Blonde comely wife with hair up in light blue jacket and skirt
A son and daughter with matching striped t-shirts
I would estimate their ages to be 10 or 11 or 12

We have our own frame
It keeps us penned into tight parameters
And it prompts me to ask is this how life winds down
Holding hands in front of the TV? Eating snacks out of the same bag?
The cushions of the sofa sink beneath us like Davy Jones Locker
And like the force of fathoms, our actions are complete but in slow motion

The family in the photograph that comes with the frame
Is the family you could never hope to have
Just as the bodybuilder on the side of the vitamin bottle has a physique you will never possess

The two types of family derailment you will never see in the photograph that comes with the frame - dysfunction and tired acquiescence
And the father in the photograph with his suit and vest and widow's peak and wide smile
I don't believe he could stomach contact with worn out people
Whose own photographs are faded and unclear and with the subjects always standing or sitting in the shade