Poetry at Sangam

Poetry at Sangam showcases poetry in English and translations as well as essays on poetics and news of new releases.

What Cameras Are For

               for my son with OCD*

 
Shine of milk on your face
black pirate’s hat, slick, vinyllic
your skipper’s scowl betrayed
by rosebud mouth and florid cheek,
by polka-dotted undershirt
and the lack of pants or
a corsair’s dungarees—
Oh such idyllic times:

Every dimple, seam and fold
of your smile;
the glad light that itself delighted
in the clarity of your joy;
the crease of dough
that a child’s face can be.

It was all yes and whee,
all a breeze that filled
a soul’s sails with glee.

It was before.
And now, no more, no more.
I look up from your photo
and can find no shore.

           *Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

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