The Photograph

i stare at it,
a polaroid afterimage
haunt of detail—

a shutter flicker—

through a
white instant image frame.
residue of a moment

long gone...
never forgotten.

he never missed a detail,
never missed a moment
to zero in o
                  n
                  .  never missed...

how i miss him,
his quirkiness,
his humor,

they way he saw
so much meaning
in what others find

trivial.

like this photo,
of a nose,

or rather,

me sketching
a nose—
not a rose—
a nose...

his
nose.

the same detail
i pencil-applied,

he gave it too
when the shutter flied.

this photo—
now held in my hands,
reminds me things went 
beyond our plans.

Yet, this fact remain true,
It is doorway back to you.

It is so much more, my love,
than a tormenting ghost—

is ever a reminder
to me

of who you loved the most.

POET’S NOTE:
Part of the Afterimage collection. This is where it begins. Written with permission; dedicated to and inspired by Friendship’s shared poem and photograph—and by her late husband, whose eye behind the lens captured more than just a moment.

© 2026 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.