Written by:

Zerayn D.

They gather close, adjusting clothes,
fixing hair where soft light glows,
faces checked, no shadows bend,
each pose perfected to the end.

Tap,click,flash! A photo sealed,
laughter echoes, smiles revealed,
they crowd around that silver gleam,
a photo born, a frozen dream.

But tell me, did they call my name?
Did they notice who never came?
Where their smiles found its place,
did they feel the gap, the missing face?

I wasn’t there, beyond the sight,
not in their lens, not in their light,
no word, no fuss, no crime, no plea,
just silent space where I should be.

For when you cut me from your frame,
you’ve drawn your line, you’ve played your game.
don’t reach for me when storms arise,
don’t seek my truth to mask your lies.

The choice was yours, the break was clear,
I’ll not rewrite what happened here;
you framed your world without my name,
now then, get out of my frame.

This is more than an image, more than what we see;
it carries a message, a do-re-mi ditty;
For the smallest detail can bend the truth a bit,
So pause, look deeper, and mind how you frame it.