A Photograph on the Tree of Life – A Poem

I pull a photograph of you

from an album and I take in the shape

of your smile,

the brightness in your eyes.

Looking at your face now,

I realize that I had no idea

our paths would diverge

like tree branches.

Though we were both made

from the Tree of Life,

our branches grew in different directions.

It took me a while to realize this.

I watched as we grew together,

then grew apart,

our branches afraid to touch.

The photograph of you would fade

a little bit at a time

the further we grew apart.

I didn’t notice it at first,

however, it’s undeniable now.

As I take in the shape

of this memory caught in time,

I know that I must put the picture away

before you disappear entirely from the picture.

I don’t want you to be gone from my memory,

but instead held safe so that I can remember

the positive impact you had on my life

while you were in it.

I tuck the photo back into the album

and place the book into a drawer

that holds my most precious memories.

Maybe when I look at the photo again,

your smile will still be there

to lead me out to the garden

where a new tree will have started

to grow.