I
He waved the Polaroid like a fan, an invocation to the camera gods. Greys and whites morphed into a toothy smile, pigtails and brown eyes.
II
He remembers the pinhole camera made in science class and his first over exposed photo of his gangly best mate with a pudding bowl haircut.
III
A thousand images plastered to his folder, replicating an editor’s cutting room floor, yet shaped by a teenage boy’s view of the world.
IV
Spooling rolls of film into an old fashioned camera, he searched for her soul through the viewfinder. The weaving of two lives printed onto paper.
V
Breathe in. Breathe out. Push. A held breath as the doctor delivered a little girl. A memory imprinted into his mind like a photograph.
VI
He turned the pages of albums, sheets of acetate and leaves of paper crinkling like autumn drifts pushed and pulled by the winds of memory.
VII
“Make a wish.” Grasping the dandelion in pudgy hands she blew a mix of air and spit, watching the tiny blossoms parachute to the ground.
A Fullness in Brevity - Adam Byatt 
Number VI and VII are my fav. 🙂
Stunning. Sometimes (always?), less is more. Xx
p.s. if only V was as simple as that! But always as beautiful 🙂
Kudos galore from the USA….
Great use of imagery. I like this a lot.
very nice snapshots Adam! Like Mei IV was my favourite.
I think this is one of your best.
I loved it.
I loved the imagery you created in this piece. They were all so good but my two favourites were IV and V
That was beautiful, Adam.
Stanza VI is beautiful, and poignant in that so many people will never know the joy of turning the pages of a photo album. This is poetry/prose of the highest order. I’ve read far inferior pieces in lit journals.
Wow, this was cool! The only problem is, now I have Jim Croce’s “Photographs and Memories” stuck in my head. 🙂
Life captured in snapshots. My wife found a 90 year old Hawk-Eye camera at her granny’s last weekend; I found myself wondering if they have any of the photos taken with it.
I love these stopped moments, pins that hold our world down. A really lovely piece of writing and I like the way you present it in stanzas. Good work.
I liked the poetic feel, how you conveyed so much economically. Nice.
This is wonderful, I love all fiction revolving around pictures (have a couple of them myself). Really liked this!
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Loved the invocation of the camera gods!
VII is my fav.. some wonderful imagery here.
Great to see you here – I’ve entered this fun challenge too.. http://annieevett.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/starved-fgc-2012-5.html
and thanks for popping over with your supportive comments!! much appreciated
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