Photos

I've taken photos ever since I was old 
enough to know what a camera did. I loved
freezing time in a piece of thick, smooth
paper. I remember how each water droplet
stayed in the air on that paper, how each
blink of an eye would remain forever. I
loved capturing time and space in my own 
way, bringing them up with a touch of a
finger to ignite the memories they 
withheld once again.
I once took a photo of a waterfall. How I
loved placing my finger on the frozen droplets, reminding myself that even if
the real one was destroyed, it would never
leave the paper I held in my hand. 
I would notice the beautiful things this
world had to offer. "Look at that! The way
the colors melt into each other!"
I captured the moments, collected them.
Each and every single memory, at my 
fingertips. 
I started to notice the details too. The one
lifeless flower among the living, the way
the water rippled as a duck glided over it. I found beauty in every single
imperfection, whether it be a withered 
petal on a rose, a patch of dead grass in a
brilliant green meadow. It all amazed me,
the beautiful things in this world. I captured
each and every one in my mind.
Sometimes, I would take a picture. I would
capture a physical memory of that one
bird in the tree, calling for a mate, or the
bitter cold that frosted the windows.
No matter what, I will always take 
pictures. I will share them with friends, 

And maybe my own children someday.
Because when I do, I can share the
forgotten beauty of the world with them,
and they can share it with their friends, 
and their children, and when my hair is
devoid of color and the I have wrinkles in
my skin, I can close my eyes and whisper
to myself,

"I helped them see it."

Reviews

[Kathrin S]

What a beautiful idea! I loved the descriptive writing in this, and the image of the droplet, frozen on the piece of paper, is perfect. You captured the narrator's fascination and thoughts very well.

I also found the structure interesting. It reads like a story, but is formatted like a poem. Was this intentional?

Here are two nitpicky comments:

- "ignite the memories they withheld" - doesn't 'to withhold' normally mean to hold back or refuse to give something? I'm not sure if that makes sense in this context. (Or am I interpreting it in the wrong way?)

- "It all amazed me, the bea(u)tiful"

[TheShadowsWithin]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for pointing out the typo. I wrote this a bit ago, and in a rush, so I guess yes, withheld would fit better than withhold. Thank you again.