"Old Pictures"

Looking through old black and white faded pictures,
reminding you of days gone by when life was good.
Rendering images of family and friends long gone
who were the ballast of your young years.
The youngest of three was a good place to be.
Your parents had learned, mellowed and decided
you could just grow up best you could,
like a weed in a field, finding its own way.
Learning by doing the mistakes that taught you,
and watching the older ones getting into trouble.
You made you way, learning from the movies
your dad said would ruin your life.
My life is a book of black and white,
and colored images, memories in pictures
burned through the lens of my eyes
as a reminder of who I am
and where I came from.
If you open my book to any page
the child will find you, surviving
the best and the worst
as old age twists into the pages.
Rejoicing at the stories she is reminded of
as her eyes shed tears of joy and sorrow
reflected from the pages in her book.