Shutter Sisters

Growing Old

By

he’s engaged in normal conversation,
like every visit they share.
they’ve come regularly since days of bare feet and braids,
since days of excited footsteps pattering on tile.
now they sit,
texting on their phones as he talks to the tops of their heads.
they nod and say the right things,
always leaving him with an emptiness-
he sees his age in their eyes.
they go through the ritual of playing their latest piano pieces,
his most cherished part of their visits…
for as soon as he hears the nocturne on the out-of-tune keys,

he’s a dashing young man clad in a starched uniform,
with gleaming war medals clinking as he walks.
the room is filled with respectful eyes
watching him sip a cocktail while conducting business in murmured words.

then, the front doors open,
and she steps in.
heads turn, and he puts down his drink to take in her presence.
her eyes sparkle as she locks a gaze with him.
she crosses the room,
places her warm hand over his,
and smiles.

with her beside him,
his youth could never be taken away…

the nocturne ends.
the children resume their mechanical conversations
until his granddaughter, their mother, picks them up.
as soon as she arrives,
they softly kiss his cheek and rush out the door.
she walks across the room, 
sits next to him,
places her warm hand over his,
and smiles.
she has her grandmother’s eyes,
he thinks as they sparkle back at him.
and for now,

he feels young again

* * *

Image and poem by 17-year-old Suzanna Hodges, niece of Shutter Sister Stephanie Roberts. Suzanna made this image of her great grandfather using Tiltshiftfocus, PhotoShop Express, and Instagram apps on her iTouch. Do images ignite your imagination in the form of visual poetry?

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Comments

  1. Wow. I am so impressed. Suzanna…your beautiful words and image brought me to tears. You are both perceptive and wise beyond your years. 🙂

  2. This is beautiful, moving, touching. It brought tears to my eyes. To be only 17 and have such depth and knowledge? I can't wait to see where life takes you. Thank you for sharing with us.

  6. this is all so beautiful – so sad – and so true. The poetry is finding its way into the picture – mature work and great empathy of a young girl ! Bravo – bravissiomo ! You are certainly going to be there for both your grandparents and parents alike.
    And- let us all train ourselves in the art of seing the person behind the eyes- and forget everything about age. Because age is not identity !!

  16. What powerfully poignant words from a 17 year old. This was beautifully expressed and resonates so much truth. Thank you for sharing.

  20. This is beautiful – and coincidentally my husband and I spent some time this morning reflecting on growing old and all that it holds. How wonderful to find this post this morning.

  30. What a wonderful poem! It's thrilling to see that a teenager has such an incredible talent. Keep it up!

  32. I am always filled with a sense of hope when I see our young people express such maturity, insight, and awareness. I hope that our future lies in hands such as hers.

  33. This is a beautiful way to tell a story! I hope as my children get older they have the wisdom to see such depth in their grandparents….

  52. I feel so fortunate to still have both sets of grandparents in my life so this really touched me. What a beautiful poem, and what talent!!

  55. Oh this is so beautiful….on many levels. I feel totally inspired to change my visits with my 90 year old grannie, because of your words. Words are so powerful, aren't they? Thanks for sharing yours!

  56. Amazing photo and poem, paired perfectly! It really caught my attention from the start and touched my heart as I was reading.

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  60. Dear Suzanna,
    The first two lines of your poem stopped me from my every day reading and drew me over to the page with your work. There is such great love, tenderness, insight, and wisdom in your photograph and your words. You have created such dimension and a beautiful tribute to your grandfather. Your vision is a blessing. WOW. I can't wait to see more of your work.

  62. Old, no matter what day by day in the old. We should treasure every time, even sad, we have to cherish, to make you remember it longer. Wait until we're old and when that memorable, when you do not have a flavor of the.

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