family affairs and other monkey business (suggestion for title appreciated)

by marianne

Posted to Action Poetry on 2001-07-22 03:56:00

it’s a family photo
and
for a brief second
we are
forced to put away our differences
till this damn thing is over with
we all want it to be over
with quickly
i think it’s embarassing how
akwardly tall uncles
ashamed of their height
are condemned by the photographer
to stand
at the back
so as not to block the
short and stubby
aunts who have to stand in
the front
with the kiddies
their defective genes
playing them yet again a cruel trick
this isn’t boosting anyone’s
self-esteem for sure
the photographer has a pony-tail
and looks like he could be
quite nice
if he didn’t have to pretend to like
his job and i might
offer to buy him a drink later on
i think he would enjoy
that more
he says
say cheese everyone
and i smile
we all smile like little children
we do what we are told
and he says on the count of three
1!
(i think of world war 2 and gas chambers)

2!
(i think of what it would be like dying)

3!
(i purposely revisit scenes from horror movies i have seen)
and the blitz freezes our
faces
and my worst fears along with it
so that later
when i examine this photo
i will remember that i thought
them
and can search for some sign
of abnormality
in my face
or expression
or if there isn’t any
then why
not.