Photo Finish

[continuation]

Collective future fades
And light leaks,
Onto the Polaroids of our past

Unfiltered noise,
Breaks the silence,
Of a still frame mind

Unwinding, unreeling
Unfocused negatives,
Pasted to the pages of our scrap-booked beings

My fingers play,
Around the frayed edges of a Kodak moment,
Sepia toned and blood stained

Perhaps it's contagious;
The weakness for tangibility
This longing for validation

Sly glances steal by,
Hollow eyes of ghostly figures,
Impressed upon by wandering plights

Twinges of affinity
Twined by matchsticks of emotion
Soon to be ablaze

Low resolution images
Curling at the corners
Vignettes deepen...

Coffee rings and fingerprints,
Scar the film
And with a flash, we disappear

[dwells]

...and dust to dust perhaps eh Quin? Supremely sorrowful and with an undercurrent of "blood-stained validation". The past can be ever-present in our minds, though the flames offer a ceremonial pyre of temporal burial, we are many things both past and present; with a promise for the future perhaps.
The photographic extended metaphor was a perfect way to express an uncommon dilemma that lingers in the minds of many - cheers and RIP! - Dan

[Windsend]

This is a pretty darn good, literary boot, into the memory of a long lost moment. Great poem. I thoroughly loved every word. Great imagery with the use of your word stock! This is one to remember for sure. I have to say that this poem left me with a very specific and detailed mental model as I read into the last stanza. Outstanding piece! Always a pleasure.
Brad-

[JASON]

I am so with Brad!! this was spectacular!!
Just the play on words in the title is brilliant...
You have obviously put hours of effort into this one and it paid off.

[everhopeful]

Seeing your continued development as a poet brings me great pleasure, and this poem is evidence of your growth. You've taken an extended metaphor, stayed true to it throughout, and flushed it out to its fullest with a level of detail which shows a story. There are some very insightful references in this one, the first and fourth stanzas in particular leave a dark imprint on my mind. It seems as though the speaker found some cause for optimism towards the ending before the final stanza felt like the moment was again lost to despair.

[Ladywildalice]

Congratuations continuation on the Spotlight. Indeed, as everhopeful so aptly pointed out, your developing writing skills are peaking in such a lovely manner. Conveying varying emotions, this wonderful piece touches on so many of the internal voices we all experience, and the highs and lows of hope. Very nice and again, congrats for this well deserving write.

[everhopeful]

I think it's a good sign when you re-read a poem again and find something else which catches your eye and impresses you. While I stand by my admiration of the poem as a whole, particularly the development of the extended metaphor, I think those last four stanzas really took the poem to the next level. They contained not only strong images and metaphors, they were filled with profound emotional content.
Congratulations on the spotlight!

[Windsend]

Congratz on the Spotlight. Well deserved recognition. I could never say enough about how good this poem is. Keep at it. Always a pleasure.
Brad-

[Forestdawn]

Continuation:

Wow! Congradulations for being in the TPS Spotlight! Wow, No wonder it made it. It's absolutely breathtaking.
Watching ourselves within the photographs of life. A genuine emotion grabber.
Thanks

[shays1]

Spotlight material for sure. From start to fantastic finishing last line, this is a very well done poem. Congratulations, continuation!

[Kornelia]

Continuation,

What an amazing work you have made of what appears to be a photograph, one never seems to think of the fact that indeed there can be lives, souls, histories , dimensions in and between taking that picture. Last line was a great finishing line, curtain falls...

Kornelia

[Forestdawn]

Continuation: again very well done!

[LorettaYoung]

A poignantly beautiful write of the melancholy of past remembrances. Powerful word choice and phrasing.
Excellent write. Congratulations on the spotlight. Loretta

[dornicks]

Read and can only say that if ever a piece was bound for the Spotlight, this certainly was. Thank you for sharing this,

dornicks

[ObsidianMule]

I counted 13 distinct photography references in there. That alone is reason enough for a spotlight.

[Josie]

I enjoyed this poem for bringing back memories of my own experiences. My dad would document our photos sometimes by pretending to be someone in the picture and write what he thought he or she were thinking.
A favorite line :
My fingers play
Around the frayed edges of a Kodak moment,
Sepia toned and blood stained
*There are certain pictures that hold a lot of meaning that I keep close, so I understand how the edges could get frayed. Was the N absented minded and unaware that blood was getting on the picture? Whatever the reason, the picture was comforting to have near.
Congratulations on the TPS Spotlight.

[continuation]

Thank you, ALL of you, for such kind and generous words on this peice. I never expected it to be in the spotlight and am so amazed that all of you were able to take away thoughts from this you enjoyed. Thank you so much for coming by to read and leave me a comment with your lovely feelings about the poem. I am humbled and grateful.