a portrait of a girl, bright smile on her face white teeth, red lips, eyes up in hidden grace she looks content and well, not a trouble, not care like she could hang the moon and braid stardust through her hair those eyes, twinkling blue like the crystals of the sky say, would a frown crease those corners should a cloud be passing by? but, perhaps that smile hides the troubled frown camera catches her looking up once in all the times that she’s looked down did she have a family? did she have some friends? because in the picture, she’s alone far as the horizon extends because we will never know what really happened to you looking at the photo, we can only hope that the smile was true ------------------------------------------- a portrait of a boy, mouth turned down in fear creases of his cheeks collect every dropping tear he looks like the world has grown too heavy for him to bear he sits in his paper-thin world waiting for it to tear the tears pool in his lap like the water in the sea you must feel the urge to scream “why, just leave him be” but maybe, behind that frown lies a hidden smile the acting is so potent, because he hasn’t cried in a while so no, the photograph is not a portrait of their soul because you will never truly know what made the image whole but what i do know, i know this the photograph shows hope in our hearts whether to bring the smile, or rid the frown the portrait is just the start