Snapshot

It fell from the album
like a postcard from the past,
image fogged by time
and hidden
in a blizzard
of scratches.

I try to focus -
recovering detail
of composition,
shadow and highlight,
restoring tired contrast
with the ink of memory.

A man and a woman
posing on a bridge.

His arm is raised
pointing at something
beyond the field of vision.

Her head turns
to follow his
outstretched finger
but her eyes
look straight
into the lens.

A knowing look
which sharpens
the image,
snapping the shutter
on a whole life.