Pictures and my Mother

The pictures recreate memories - for me, and for my mother.

I see the moving pictures on the computer screen
And pictures of family parties, family weddings, family functions,
Parties with friends, and a whole lot of more
Keep moving by,
Taking me back in my memories
Recreating their histories in my head.

Suddenly a current picture of my mother with her college friends materialize,
Putting a smile on my face.
She looks so happy in the picture
With friends she hasn't seen in over twenty years,
But so comfortable in her surroundings
And the group of people
Who know her as her - an individual who they're not afraid to tease
And know her likes, dislikes and secrets.

They've swapped life stories,
And been through their own difficulties
Together and apart.
But through all this they've sustained,
And managed to meet after two decades
And still be themselves,
A fun-loving but comfortable group
Who've been through their own ups and downs.

I can see all this through the pictures moving by
And the stories she loves to tell my sister and me,
Making me happy for her
Because they will never be my memories, or a part of my life.

But seeing my mother be a 'young undergraduate'
And a fun-loving 'girl'
With her old friends
Makes me smile
Because she is just being herself,
And it makes me proud that my mother is who she is.

Author's Note

The idea for this poem has been stuck in my head for quite some time, and refused to come out. It finally came out nicely after a fun chat with my mother.