Yesterday and Today

Smile for the camera if you can

or don't 

if your smile reveals some tinsel

better left hidden.

It was a black and white era

of shyness, timid glances

and awakening sexuality,

a time to hide behind glasses,

turtleneck sweaters

or the Christmas tree itself.

Daddy's gone now

and so are his cameras,

and in their place

computer screens

and digital, color, instant pics

that I can access with a click

and send them into cyberspace.

My sisters are no longer

black and white children

but full color women

with beauty parlor hair,

high heels and low-cut,

stylish dresses

as they dance around the seasons.

And now I smile

a camera-ready smile,

polished and rehearsed,

no longer fearful.

Yesterday is just a ghost

of the girl I used to be.