My selection — For An Album
A Poem By Adrienne Rich
"Our story isn't a file of photographs
faces laughing under green leaves
or snow lit doorways, on the verge of driving
away, our story is not about women
victoriously perched on the one
sunny day of the conference,
nor lovers displaying love:
Our story is of moments
when even slow motion moved too fast
for the shutter of the camera:
words that blew our lives apart, like so,
eyes that cut and caught each other,
mime of the operating room
where gas and knives quote each other
moments before the telephone
starts ringing : our story is
how still we stood,
how fast. "
About the Poem :
I love photographs and admire the way how it helps to recreate our memories. One look at a photograph and we are taken back to that exact moment in the past. But this poem is about the moments that were left uncaptured. You know the moment when you had that forlorn look on your face and just then somebody said cheese and you involuntarily smiled, and the stories behind such moments.
The real life is beyond camera. How much ever we try and make progress in the field of technology, the attempts to capture the real life in its true essence shall remain futile.
About the Poet :
Adrienne Rich was the singular voice of her generation and one of the most important American poets. Her poetry is radical and never shy away from the political.
Born : May 16, 1929 in Baltimore, Mary Land, United States
Died : March 27, 2012
Nationality : American
