A Picture:

A woman in a dress with flower print.
Nice heels, and thick hair,
usually wild with curls,
controlled by steam and press.

She leans against the one thing they ever owned,
the house they built with family. Too small,
ceilings too low.

But theirs.

The day is nice, I can tell because she wears no coat.
Her smile
is proper. Kind. Aware of the camera. Aware of the
man behind it.

She has folded her hands into her lap. Let the breeze
wrap the skirt of her dress around the corner of the
house.

She dressed special for the picture. Because

back then, a nice dress and your own house
was jes’ fine. Jes’ Fine.