Poem: January 15, 2026

Picture Frame

Not that I’m looking to go anywhere,

but as I was watching our lives pass by

in random order, flicking along every six

seconds on the digital picture frame–

you and I riding bicycles in Key West;

Riley, Sophie, and Annie leaning into

one another on the couch on Christmas Eve;

the cats as kittens; cousins and beach vacations;

and, again, you, illuminated and sweater-

bundled in the fire’s dancing shadow-glow–

I had this moment in which I noticed

the tap and ticking whisper of the clock.

And I remembered this moment a few years

back: Dinner on the back deck with

the whole family, and my mother’s hand

on the back of my father’s arm, and then

spoken softly, It’s been a good life.