A Special Occasion

They are all young in this photograph,

looking so happy to be there

for a special occasion, the camera held steady

and the light falling on cue.

It just had to be recorded. Somebody

would have said ‘I’ll get prints made

if you give me your addresses,

but anyway we must keep in touch.’

So young, with all the time in a world

that lies in wait for happiness,

then seizes the instant opportunity

to freeze it in a frame.

One by one they have departed now,

though memory still holds them

in the tight clutch of an album

refusing to let go.