Listening Long and Late

the people in old photographs

52 the people in old photographs The people in old photographs have moved to a new location. They stand at the windows, watching us in their funny suits and beards and hats that look like gardens. They have put on serious faces, so we will recognize their importance, or they smile, as if living the good life. They have brought with them the Pekinese dogs and the ponies and the wooden boats from which they wave to us. They lean against cars they have driven here from distant places. They stroll beneath the trees, holding parasols and trumpets. How is it they remembered to bring so much but forgot their names? Maybe that’s why there’s a certain sadness about them. Where now will we ever find the names? How will we greet them when we become neighbors? ...