Nancy Lubarsky
School Pictures
(a Puente)
Directed to a swivel stool, she advises me
to stare at the lens edge while she tilts my
head. Smiling is optional. I hear the click.
A few weeks later the ID badge arrives.
I am frozen for a year. Hair color,
make up, air brushed imperfections.
~ a reprieve from time ~
My son's successive school pictures are
locked in a single sculpted frame. Every
year, I place the latest one in front.
Sometimes I take it from the shelf, open
the back, thumb through. Not like a
flip book, I linger on each one.
Bio
Nancy Lubarsky writes from Cranford, New Jersey. She has been an educator for 30 years and is currently a superintendent in Mountainside, New Jersey. She has been published in various journals, including Edison Literary Review, Exit 13, Lips, Stillwater Review, Tiferet, and in Impact and Great Falls/Passaic River Anthologies. Her book, Tattoos, was published by Finishing Line Press. Her upcoming book, The Only Proof, published by Aldrich Press, has just been released. Nancy has also been nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize. She takes inspiration and support from her membership in the Westfield Poetry Workshop group.