Photogenic
Lori A. May
Damn if it didn’t happen again.
There was disappointment in his voice
when he said, “I didn’t recognize you
from your photograph,” even though
it’s me, same as always. They usually
say that, trying to disguise the confusion,
feeling a little caught off guard. So what
if I can’t help that I’m photogenic?
It’s not like it’s the make-up,
or the way I do my hair. Not really,
I try to tell him, every one of him,
as it’s happened before, but none
of them really care. They are too
focussed on the let-down. I tell my friend
it’s because up close and in person, it’s not
just the photograph. I have another dimension,
a third one, that comes with personality. And I think
they don’t expect it. In person, I bring
my quirks, my attitude, my ability
to piss people off so easily. The photograph
doesn’t readily offer that to him, or to the others,
and he’s mad. Or maybe he’s
just disappointed. Because then he says, without
making eye contact, “You don’t even look
like the same person.” And though I know
it will happen again, I try to remember
for next time. This is not a compliment.
Lori A. May’s poetry has appeared in publications such as Aesthetica, The Claremont Review, and Zygote. She is the author of three chapbooks, though it
was her debut novel, The Profiler, which landed her on the Waldenbooks
bestseller list. Her next book, Moving Target, will be released in
January 2008. Lori lives in