Photographic Memories

I went through all our old photographs
memories made over thirteen years

Pictures worth a million words
that bring my soul to tears.

I study each one carefully
replaying the memories in my mind

looking for clues of what the future would hold
and the heartache it would leave behind

Smiling children, visiting new places
a canoe trip, a wedding, the park

How could we have known that summer day at the Lake
how quickly our bright lives would turn dark

Birthday smiles and Christmas mornings
Putt Putt golf and a day at the beach

So carefree and not knowing how soon
happiness would be out of our reach

Our passage through life captured on paper
If not for the photos would soon disappear

Fade out of our minds like the love in our hearts
bittersweetly remembered through the years.