THE EMPTY FRAME

 

The empty frame on the wall looked odd

one large frame flanked by photos of

people, places, and things.

One picture to make the photo booth replete

with moments that made your life fuller.

But what about those moments that made it empty?

No one captures those you say;

I don’t either.

But it will remind you of the times that you felt empty,

of hidden stories, untold tales, and wishes

that were made but never came true.

Close your eyes in front of the pale wall

that is framed empty for the reel that will move past

with the images, you failed to capture.

The colour of the first box of paint you received on a Saturday afternoon;

You don’t remember the first painting of the excited child;

But close your eyes once again to remember

how you imagined yourself as an artist;

with pallets, colours, and dream-like paintings around.

You are not reminded of those you couldn’t paint

but the sheer joy of holding your first box of paint.

You stand in front of the frame each time you picked a fight with your mother;

just to see the paraffin burning on the mother’s toes, straight out of Ezekiel's poem, 

who thanked God, for, the scorpion had spared her children.

The smile of the little girl in her braids near the temple selling lotteries;

who made you believe in hard work and not luck

as you bought your first lottery from her.

The bougainvillea bush you never grew,

the prize you never got,

the dance you never did,

the move you never made,

the letters you never sent,

the poem you never wrote,

the list doesn’t end, so you open your eyes

to see the emptiness dissolve

making sense of all the pictures that surround

and now the frame doesn't seem empty anymore.