A Villanelle
Photos are memories awakened
with borders for colors that bleed.
The living can only be taken
positioned or snapped in creation
expanding wide angles undreamed.
Photos are memories awakened
recording a life in its making
framing the best that’s been seized.
The living can only be taken
through lenses in focus, not shaken
by movement that time guarantees.
Photos are memories awakened.
An image that fades unmistaken
moves out of the frame that we freeze.
The living can only be taken.
No camera can capture what’s vacant.
No flash can expose what’s deceased.
Photos are memories awakened.
The living can only be taken.
“You Can’t Take the Dead” was originally published in Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry 2019.
Rita A. Simmonds is a three-time winner of the Best Original Poetry category at the annual Catholic Press Association Awards, as well as a winner of numerous second- and third-place CPA awards. She has published three books of poetry.