A photo in a Paris apartment

© Copyright Greg Champion

the smile on the face of the soft little girl
is as sweet as an apricot tree
and the place where it sits on the shelf is a sign
how important the photo must be

in her face is the unmistakable stamp
of a mother and father who’ve raised
a family back in another world
in an earlier far away place

because nestled beside her, her arm round his shoulder
is a boy just as glowing as she
younger by some years but clearly apart
of the now distant family

and although this picture now lies half the world away
from where the photo is from
the light on their skin lets you know it was taken
under an Australian sun

the glare and the heat and the light on their cheeks
makes it clear where the photo is from
the boy and the girl and the trees have been captured
under an Australian sun

and although he no longer belongs to this family
and the kids are no longer so young
they shine with love from the heart of the picture
under an Australian sun