paper

desaturated

they were soft white, now
yellow with age and softened
by light, but our grins still
glow in their waves of
nostalgia.

they are an odd mix of
perfectly-posed and candid
shots, laughter seared in grainy
pixels and overexposed films.

underneath the dust particles we
are immortalized in tacky
plastic borders, presence as firm
as we are faded shadows like
the past that haunts
everyone. it is almost
laughable
how our youths are jotted down
in visual journals and taken
out for reminscing when
the stars have already
fallen.