#328 The Viewer Poem by Jimmie Arrington

Life’s a funny thing, you see,
Are we really who we see in photos?
The complication with you and me
Is a convincing smile and crinkled nose.

I see your elated face and steady pose,
Your jovial, twinkling eyes,
But seeing myself clad in fancy clothes
I’m convinced of all these lies.

These pictures say we’re quite delighted
But my thoughts think differently;
Perhaps thoughts and thinking incited
By the last viewer’s hidden fee.

Now memories fade, unlike these stills,
As time goes ticking by,
And a draining mind demands refills
So we pour a sweet lullaby.

I’ve not become who I wished to be,
Frankly, I’m hardly here at all.
Snapped shots aren’t sincerely you or me
But the viewer’s assessment call.