Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Photograph

So for a university English class, our professor got us to read Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens. She then asked us to write our own thirteen ways of looking at something.

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Photograph

 

I.          Through the eyepiece,

I set the stage.

Time is frozen.

 

II.          A second passes,

The camera flashes,

Revealed is perfection

 

III.         The subjects were carefully placed on the walk.

A calm scene was photographed amongst the hustle and bustle.

 

IV.         Emotions are vivid

            And alive.

            Emotions are captured

 

V.         A moment only lasts so long;

            One second before it’s gone.

            Remember the good times,

            Toss out the bad times,

            Delete unwanted photographs.

 

VI.         Relationships come and go.

            Friendships, boyfriends, roommates, the odd crush

            Laughter may ring,

            Tears may flow freely,

            All because of one photograph.

 

VII.       A photograph

A great attempt to relive the past

            The first time you held your newborn nephew

            Will always last.

 

VIII.         A final visit

            A photograph of you and a friend

            Cherished forever

            You cannot see them in person anymore,

            But he is there.

            The image is etched in your mind.

 

IX.        The heavens open up

            The sun continues to shine

            You may have had to leave,

            But these photographs will always be mine.

 

X.        They are special,

But can also be taken recklessly

All those party photographs

May not always mean so much.

 

XI.         Once loved

            The photograph shows the smiles.

            It’s over

            Is there anything to regret?

 

XII.         From a photograph,

            New memories form.

            They could be from dropping the camera,

            But could also come from

            Supporting a friend

            As she burns a photograph.

 

XIII.       I walk outside

            In the chilling air.

            Fiddle with the focus

            Widen the aperture

Like a memory,

Not every photograph may last.

            But I’m ready to try.

Author's Note

Please, please, please leave as many comments as you can.
I am unsure of how much I like the result, so if you think you have an idea on how I can fix it, PLEASE tell me! :)
This assignment is due tomorrow (Jan12th,2011)...but if you see it after, still leave a message. Love hearing from you guys!! <3

***The version that you see now is the one I handed in...I'll let you know what the prof thought!

***This newest version is with my professor's revisions. I really enjoy the way it sounds now. A couple of her comments were:
-for stanza IX, "I like the tone here; it shifts to something sinister"
-for stanza XI, "Wow!"
-and overall, "These are lovely. Lots of variety in concept, diction, and syntax, and tone or mood. Excellent!"

Needless to say, I am pleased! :)