Photography Lessons

You could, of course, take a portrait:
everyone on the cabin porch,
stiff and uncomfortable, smiles forced.
If the angle’s wide enough, you’ll
capture the backdrop: trees about
to bloom, jay bird waiting for crumbs.

Or you could try a landscape:
flat wall of flat gray clouds.
When you show it to your friends,
be sure to describe the obscured
valley – hills rolling into forever,
snow capped and serene.

When night falls, open your
aperture wide as the hillside
and capture the moon as she rises.
Leave the shutter open all night
as the clouds swallow up the
moon and release her.

If you’re a minimalist, shoot
for the tiny details: snow piled
three inches high on the picnic
table, flapjacks stacked even
higher. Be sure to capture
the glint of sun against ice.

But if you must capture the
trip with a single frame: take
a picture of a sleeping bag.
Focus on the small lump at the
foot, which just might be the
curled figure of a hibernating child.