"Daguerrologue" by Mark J. Mitchell

Daguerrologue
a word coined by John Koenig in his Dictionary of Imaginary Sorrows. It means
“an imaginary conversation with an old photo.”

The light’s gold because sun bled the picture
through long years: A garage. A boy. A not
quite man shooting pool. You talk at the kid
about your day. About how you both aged
mysteriously. He loved your unsure
hand you know as you prattle. Not a lot
to tell his framed face. You know what you did.

Beside it, another photo, less caged
in loss. An older boy wearing your hat —
your good hat. You stop and spare him some words
he won’t hear. Someone’s wedding. You don’t know
them now. But don’t worry, all your old rage
let out its air. He’s fuller now — not fat —
but substantial. He’s thriving. Last you heard.

A frame propped behind the couch doesn’t show
any people — just a Spanish landscape
your father took. Hills and ancient windmills.
You lift it up, talking just to feel pure
now. It’s blessed with unwritten lore you know
about tracking and catching your escape.
There’s a knight and squire and laughable thrills.

Mark J. Mitchell

Mark J. Mitchell has worked in hospital kitchens, fast food, retail wine and spirits, conventions, tourism, and warehouses. He has also been a working poet for almost 50 years. An award-winning poet, he is the author of five full-length poetry collections, and six chapbooks. His latest collection is Something To Be from Pski’s Porch Publishing. He is very fond of baseball, Louis Aragon, Miles Davis, Kafka, Dante, and his wife, activist and documentarian Joan Juster. He lives in San Francisco, where he once made his marginal living pointing out pretty things. Now, he is seeking work once again. A primitive web site now exists at https://www.mark-j-mitchell.square.site/ and he sometimes tweets @Mark J Mitchell_Writer.

Headshot: Mark J. Mitchell

Photo Credit: Staff