Shutterbug
by Dana Frayne
My photos carry your blurry mark,
the black box mimics silent obsession--
stubborn ink stains do not falter in the dark,
but are an exercise in lonely discretion.
The walls maintain remnants of tragic strife,
cigarette ash and hollow desires,
buried, of course, as is the task of “wife,”
such is the stoked brush of petty fires.
I now avoid the lens’ reflection,
but the lurking still haunts my every shot--
I still stupidly beg the question,
when were we in love, but not?
the black box mimics silent obsession--
stubborn ink stains do not falter in the dark,
but are an exercise in lonely discretion.
The walls maintain remnants of tragic strife,
cigarette ash and hollow desires,
buried, of course, as is the task of “wife,”
such is the stoked brush of petty fires.
I now avoid the lens’ reflection,
but the lurking still haunts my every shot--
I still stupidly beg the question,
when were we in love, but not?
Dana Frayne is a poet based in Brooklyn, New York. She is a member of the Brooklyn-based poetry collective "Poetry is a Team Sport," and her art has been featured at the New York City Poetry Festival. She holds an MSc from the University of Oxford.