Floor Scatter

 Floor Scatter

I set out the photos in chronological order

The patterns begin to emerge

The images weave in and out of events and through families

1924 funeral 1970 Hawaii trip 1926 graduation 1918 death 1946 Ohio trip

Friends here, cousins there, family groups everywhere

I being to catalog it all

Every house, every relationship, every adventure

I discovered Bruce Boomer

His dark, wavy hair and glasses make him easy to pick out

I moved to the Wedemeyer brothers

I only know Fred and John

I determine to recognize Ed, Ernest, and Frank on site

And the two Voigts

Hans and Emil look alike-brothers

But I note Hans’s serious smile and straight statues

And Emil’s goofy grin and relaxed ease

Clarity emerges as lives come to life

A pile of mixed information becomes real

Take time with your pictures. I spent a week sorting pictures hence they are all over the floor. It helped me see the timeline of my family, recognize faces, and understand the collection I had been given.