why did you stop posing for photos?
you’re swaying as you stand among the wrinkled dandelions that sprout
from what is left of me beneath the damp blanket of cool muck soil.

1950–1967
no months, no days.

secluded away from the recent resting places
of beloved grandparents
littered with fresh tulips and lilies in pastel,
turned away from the sunniest area of the grounds,
a haven reserved for children,
their angelic headstones adorned with tears.

was i not a child too?
your eyes seem to say yes
as you stare down with sorrow.

but i danced and i married and i loved;
in their minds that made me more than a child,
undeserving to be with the rest.

so i face away,
the only grave gazing out
towards the bubbling creek and the moss sticky with moisture
left alone with the shadows and the buzz of mosquitoes—
until you loomed over me.

can you go back to taking photos?
go back to spinning amongst the limestone markers
and tilting your teenage body into the ruts of twisted trees;
pose and smile with all your straight, shining teeth.
don’t fear how deep your facial lines will run in time.
no one cares once they are brought here.

so be immortalized in photos,
for yourself
and for those who have no photos left.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Em Loney is a writer and poet from Chesterton, Indiana and they are currently attending Ball State University with majors in Creative Writing and Public History. Her work has previously appeared in the 2022 issue of The Broken Plate, as well as the Odyssey Creative Works Journal issue of the same year. They are ecstatic to share their writing with readers.

Contents

The Photo Taken By Emma Jean

ABOUT THE AUTHOR