My Stranger

Photographer’s Journal

It was your time to celebrate,
Your school had set the date,
Everyone was excited,
About this rite of passage.

Teachers took a moment,
To admire their amazing students,
Parents gloated and glowed,
Their child had something to show.

It was more than a piece of paper,
A hot ticket to the future,
The joy was genuine,
So everyone was celebrating.

I met you at a party,
I heard about your story,
You had your paper,
But you had no good pictures!

I couldn’t understand the process,
This important rite of passage,
Didn’t it come in two parts —
A marriage between science and art?

The paper culminated the journey,
The photos celebrated the identity,
You were proud of the first one,
Not so much of the second.

I was seriously confused,
You were a friend of my Muse,
She showed me your photos,
You stood there solo.

No magic on your face,
No inner glow one could taste,
Just another kid, by another wall,
I couldn’t tell it was you at all!

No one else seemed to care,
At your party, no photos were shared,
I didn’t know how you felt,
But this whole thing made my heart melt.

It was none of my business,
Yet I stuck my nose into this mess,
We didn’t even know each other,
You and I were just strangers.

My heart was pounding,
My mind was racing,
My soul asked the question — 
Could I be the one?

Maybe I could fix this,
Maybe I could lift his spirit,
Maybe I could celebrate his soul,
Document it with my digital roll!

Was it my arrogance
Wanting to take the chance?
Or was it my compassion
Wanting to be his right person?

My heart and mind were debating,
While I felt my mouth moving,
‘Would you like me to take your pictures?’
I boldly asked this stranger.

‘Yes’ with a firm voice you said,
Starting the clock for this divine test,
Tik tok tick tock, I felt the rush,
Tick tock tick tock, I had to trust.

What if I was delusional?
What if I couldn’t create anything special?
I ate self-doubt for breakfast,
Served with a side of Distrust!

I was able to see my Muse,
All her photos were more than cute,
Her essence radiated,
Blessing her transition to college.

Would I be able to see this stranger?
Would my lens find his inner?
My smart mouth thought highly of me,
Promised things that could turn empty!

Then I looked at him from a distance,
Didn’t take much, just a glance,
He was so beautiful,
The other photographer was a tool!

I saw a magnificent being,
Too mysterious for pointing and shooting,
The lens had a sense of humor,
To capture, one had to try harder.

It was too late to back out,
I planned to head north, not turning south,
He trusted in my ability,
Opened his heart with vulnerability.

‘Yes’ was enough to bind our agreement,
I ran out of time to sit on the fence,
I borrowed his trust in me,
I followed my smart mouth’s destiny.

Pointing and shooting failed to translate,
My camera kept letting his charm escape,
I opened my heart wider and wider,
And his pictures got better and better!

My hands and my heart were rhyming,
My eyes saw the angels hovering,
His charm finally deemed me worthy,
Entered the scene to bless my photography.

The day turned into a cold night,
It was me, you, and the street lights,
My tools were cold and artificial,
Our creations were warm and special.

Our hearts found our ways to that connection,
We reached our artistic union,
I think we’ve become lifelong friends,
Even if we never saw each other again.

Through each other,
We could see ourselves better.
Thank you, my smart mouth!
My stranger and I love how the pictures turned out.

Writer’s Notes: Kaveh in Auburn, CA on January 21st, 2022. The journal was completed this morning.

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