“All photographs are self portraits”

Through some
you see a story unfold
With others
comes mostly the progression
of emotion.

You’re smiling
Your heart feels light,
Happy.
There’s a trace of quiet laughter
on the corners
of your lips,
hiding tucked behind your ear.
You don’t move except
to tilt your head toward me.
When you look at me
your eyes are soft,
the smile smooths
from lighthearted laughter
into peace.
There is love in your eyes.
You see something,
feel something.
It allows your viewer
a glimpse
of the extent of serenity
that was your soul
in that moment.

In the next frame
your smile begins to widen,
you glance away,
taking the emotion with you
in your eyes,
but it’s still
in the pure contours
of your face,
left behind
in your hands
that gracefully lie
above your head.
You’re still
happy.
The connection created
by eye contact
can leave you feeling vulnerable,
as if you’ve exposed
that window into your soul
for too long.

But when you looked at me
like that,
I captured it.
It embraces my spirit,
it is stamped on my soul –
Eternal,
just like the rest of you.