That smile

I have a photograph of you in my office
it's one that I took about ten years ago
at my grandparents in Canada
you are sitting on a rock
at the edge of the lake
and you're smiling at me, this big smile
a smile that brightens up this empty place

I remember the day it was taken
you had gone out to say
good-bye to the lake
as I watched from the cottage
you sat down and looked around
I had to have a picture of you
loving this place from my childhood
grabbing my camera
I sneaked out the side door
I snapped off a few shots
before catching your attention
then I walked around in front of you
and took this shot
you seemed so happy and content

little did I realize when I took it
how much it would come to mean to me
so even though you're not right here
I can look at the photograph anytime
I need to see your smiling face
and feel your love for me
whenever I look at the photo
I smile and think "that's my girl"

but sometimes I feel sad
because these days, that smile
that I so love, is gone from your face
and we are not now, who we were
back when this picture was taken
I know nothing ever stays the same
and that the only thing constant is change
I wish for a change of better days ahead

so therefore, this photo is a symbol of hope
hope for you, for me, for us
hope - that we can find our way through
the pain that we've caused each other
hope - that we find our way back to those days
and our love is once again
as simple and special as what we shared
on that warm summer afternoon
when you sat on a rock at the edge of the lake
and I took a photograph of you
and that smile

3.3.98