Since I discovered poetry, I cannot make out

which shapes are silhouettes of ancient memories

and which are pulled from pictures

manipulated,

to serve, to feign, to fake their way into stories.

Another reason I confuse photographs

for memories

is because I remember so many of them 

being taken in their first moment

the shutter click, the film progress

because dad took pictures everywhere and

all the time.

I stopped remembering 

because it would be on film one day,

things I don't even want to remember.

Instead, I can pull out a photo

and everyone is happy.

When we are done

I can put it away again.