"Smile and say Cheese"

"What story does this picture tell?"

there are times i look at pictures
that are on my space of my friends or
pictures i am shown of family
and or acquaintance's

if the picture is unknown to me
i tend to tell a story in my mind
about the picture, kinda like make
believe

it is amazing how i can make up this
story and it seems so real, yet the person
who's picture it is, tells such a different
story

it is true we conjure up things in our
minds and most of the time they are
all so different

i believe in the words:
"A picture tells a thousand words"
for what you see or believe can be
so far from the reality of the picture
a thousand times over!

last year i was shown a picture
of what seemed a sweet family, it
was a christmas picture, the children
in their best christmas outfits,
the parents looking so perfect,
smiles were everywhere, even the
dog seemed to be smiling, behind
them all was a fireplace, so bright orange
it glared, i stared at the picture with
envy, thinking "how lucky for
this family, picture perfect"

not so perfect, they are now divorced
he, was never happy in his marriage
he, was miserable the day of the photo
he, was forced to take that photo

so, at times does a picture really
tell the whole story, or is it just a mask
for reality?

can we ever really know?

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