Photographs, Memories and Smiles

I heard back in the day you didn’t want to school
You wanted to work and make money
You had your own plans for a future
But most of all you wanted to have a family
You took risks and yet played it conservatively

Not sure how one does that, perhaps it was your upbringing
The generations of strong women in your blood
Who never depended on a man to provide for them
It was one of those lessons you’d pass down to your daughters
And to your boy

You used to dance, your siblings and cousins would say
You’d drink and laugh, it’s in still pictures of everyone’s minds
Memories never fade
They just hide in the corner
They suddenly come to light and show up in smiles

I heard stories from dad and uncle, from aunty and grandma
Telling me about your younger days, I’ve seen the photographs
Of that slender young woman with jet black hair
And sometimes when we browse through old family albums
I see you smile again