Sister, Niece

At the heart of the photo you sit double-face:

The one you grown, adult lines and arcs,

Blond hair, tan skin, breasts and legs;

The other you shrunk, infant in the elder’s lap,

Pale skin, dark eyes, mouth realizing awe.

Wedded generations, you climb down ages.

Frozen here, the older half looks down

In mute contemplation; the younger looks up

In stark anticipation. What will come

Of this union? Do the halves share wisdom

With their flesh? Can they save each other?

.

(The viewer, this viewer, knows one thing—

He loves the pair. His eye wanders,

Burns briefly in the white tropic sky

At their backs, before returning to their harbor

Of light and shade.)

.

To Cathy

July, 1981