A Photograph : A Poem

A Photograph 

 The poem deals with the theme of the sad memory of loss of our dear ones. It shows  the changing nature of human life. Human life slips from childhood into youth and thence into old age followed by the inevitable death. A photograph reminds the poetess of her dear mother who has died 12 years ago. It shows her 12 years old mother as a young girl flanked by her two cousins, smiling with the background of sea.

The first stanza of the poem tells about the poetess looking at the cardboard photograph of her mother with her younger cousins Betty and dolly. They look smiling and enjoying their Sunday beach holiday. The poetess marks the transience of their feet which are being washed by the sea water which is still the same.

The second stanza shows the poetess remembering her mother at 32 or 42 when she would laugh at this photograph and miss her old good days of beach holiday and the cousins. She misses her mother's laughter. However she has come to terms with the loss of her mother as the latter looks to have done in the photograph. 

The third stanza shows the author still looking at the photograph and missing her mother twelve years after her death. But hopelessly everything appears silent.