THE LIVING PHOTOGRAPH
THE LIVING PHOTOGRAPH
(by Jackie Kay)
My small grandmother is tall there,
straight-back, white broderie anglaise shirt,
pleated skirt, flat shoes, grey bun,
a kind, old smile round her eyes.
Her big hand holds mine,
white hand in black hand.
Her sharp blue eyes look her own death in the eye.
It was true after all; that look.
My tall grandmother became small.
Her back round and hunched.
Her soup forgot to boil.
She went to the awful place grandmothers go.
Somewhere unknown, unthinkable.
But there she is still,
in the photo with me at three,
the crinkled smile is still living, breathing.
Meaning
Stanza 1: As we start off with our life, we stand tall and confident. We make sure everything is carried out properly without a flaw. We approach every situation with a smile even as we offer encouragement to others and receive support in return. When face with an inevitable situation, we face the inevitability bravely.
Stanza 2: We can feel the onset of the inevitable as we look around and notice the signs of changes. We begin to lose our grip as things change beyond our control. We may even forget to do certain things. But, finally, the situation is out of our hands and we have to let go.
Stanza 3: But sometimes there may be a memento to remind us of what we used to be. The memento helps to keep our memories alive.
Moral Value
1 We must treasure our loved ones when they are alive.
- We must spend as much time as we can with our loved ones while they are still living
- When they pass away, all that will be left are the memories, as is illustrated in the poem.
2 It is difficult to lose a family member.
- It is always difficult to deal with the death of a loved one.
- The persona loses her grandmother when she was younger but she will always remember her.
3 We must never forget the importance of family relationship.
- We should not forget to love and care for our family, especially our grandparents who are the pillars of a family.
When they are old and sick, we must continue to take care of them.
