On having your photo taken

you stand poised
pretending to be relaxed
as though you were caught in a moment.
if you are alone
you try not to look at the lens...
eyes focused on some point
beyond the scope of the
camera.
or if someone stands
by your side,
in a feigned portrayal of Mellow
you find yourself fascinated
by the corner of his eye
the curve of his wrist
or how the small hand
on his watch slowly ticks away.

anything not to notice
the way in which the lens
pulls at the air around it.

they might have been right...
maybe it really does pull at your soul
hiding a piece of it
in the crystal residue
of a discarded picture.