We Do It to Remember – E.K. Keith

for Lizzy Hernandez

Get an old camera
see the world like it’s 1971

It’s fun
Sexual revolution in full swing
Gas is cheap
Movies cheaper
Led Zeppelin on the radio

Nixon in the White House
sending guys to Vietnam
Bone spurs
will keep you out of one
but not the other which one

Everybody’s on the Pill
but a few Gen X babies get through
Tupac
and Snoop
my little sister too

My finger’s on the shutter button
a bit of pressure
makes the aperture contract
like it’s swallowing light
from the past

Looking back
Thinking ahead

A good camera is still a lightproof box
but now the Me Generation
and Millennials
take selfies
with a phone
camera built in
a fixed aperture
a sensor
autofocus

All objects reflect light
A president’s face
contorted with rage which one
A war
hot or cold which one

We take so many pictures
and we always forget

Take another picture
memories of meaningless moments
made of reflected light

We always forget

E.K. Keith
E.K. Keith is a Latinx poet who shares her work widely in print, online, on the radio, at open mics, and on certain street corners. Her first book of poetry Ordinary Villains (Nomadic Press, 2018) has been nominated for the California Book Award, CLMP Firecracker Award, and the Pushcart Prize.

Jalil Kazerooni
Jalil Kazerooni is an Iranian artist. He infuses his art with his passion for archeology and history. He sees his work as a way to reveal stories that lie all around us, hidden in cracks and rust. you can find more of his work at https://www.instagram.com/jalilkazerooni