Wal-Mart Photo Shop

[couchgrouch]

Wal-Mart Photo ShopHappy face pin on my bright blue vestI see some folks one year to the nextlight 'em right and get 'em looking their bestcos I've snapped ev'ry kind of facefew years back was a familyyoung girl around her mother's kneesI told her to smile n say cheeseand just hold in placebut talking to the fatherI smelled whiskey on his breathhe didn't wanna be botheredjust wanted it over withyeah, I've seen 'em allcouples married fifty yearshand in aging handthose pictures had me in tearsI've caught bratty teen-age kidsmaking rabbit ears behind their sister's headskissing newlyweds who've never been apartand husbands with secrets in their heartsone time or another they've all stoppedat the Wal-Mart photo shopwell, that mom and daughter came back aloneI gave that girl some candy and a combcouldn't help but notice her Daddy was goneand was sure I knew whysaw the sadness in her mother's smilerecognized the helpless look on that childcos my own fam'ly had walked that mileback when I was drowning in ryeso I said, "pardon me, ladyit's no business of minebut here's a card and maybeyour husband can stop by sometime"yeah, I've seen 'em allcouples married fifty yearshand in aging handthose pictures had me in tearsI've hadda clean messes off my shoewhen folks wanted dogs in the picture, tooI've learned to read the lives people havein the eyes of their photographone time or another they've all stoppedat the Wal-Mart photo shopwell, a few weeks went bythen one winter nighta weary man came walkin' inhe learned what heaven's grace islast Christmas there were three smiling facesin their eight by tenthey said they were glad they stoppedat the Wa-Mart photo shop(c)2005 Robert George