Refusal
to Mourn the Pictured Past
How confident they are.
No apprehension there.
Someone caught them at a time
When they were least aware.
Or could it be, I wonder,
This is just as they were then.
I study their demeanor
In the photograph again,
Then hold back tears.
Better leave
The past unlamented,
Except for that cursed day
When photos were invented.
— Dominic Martia
Note: Dominic
Martia is a retired professor of English and Vice President of Roosevelt
University in Chicago. He and his wife, Roberta joined our Church in January and
will soon be full-time residents of Sarasota.
If you have
an original poem and would like to submit for publication in Contact,
please write or call Ellen Cone (377-4633) or Esther
Martin (923-2177). Shorter
poems are more apt to be selected because of limited space.