"Say 'sausages' to the camera"!
Frozen schoolgirl photos
with happy, gappy grins.
I'd squirm. That hawk-eyed lens
so unforgiving. Wild tribes viewed it
superstitiously. Victorians kept aloof
unsmiling, never exhibiting teeth
the way Simians display a threat
- why bleach and bare like beacons now?
Just 44 words for De’s Quadrille word prompt: Smile
PoetryPix 
Ha, yes indeed.
🙂
I still don’t love cameras (pointed at me) to this day. Funny how very much a part of our every day they have become.
nor me – selfies make me cringe not smile
That whitegrinned smile is disturbing I think… a million dollar smile says something
it say the dentists are getting rich on our self-absorption 😉
Laura, that last line is brilliant.
thank you Lisa- monkeys grin is a grimace and threatening – we might like to consider our own animal behaviours!
You’re welcome.
A brilliant closing line to this exquisite piece, Laura! ❤️❤️
many thanks Sanaa – 🙂
Brought a laugh – the bleach and bare.
even better than a smile
Being infront if the lens can be intimidating sometimes
🎇much love
indeed Gillena
I know someone who has chosen to walk away from our sibling-relationship and this makes me think of all the bleached fake smiles I see on social media. Could someone really be that happy when they’ve told their sibling goodbye?
There’s your story behind the smile that illustrates the poems message too
Dug the whole thing, esp the close!
thanks for digging to the end Ron
Love this! Our ancestors never smiled. Weren’t made to. “Say cheese!” So cheesy.
spot on Yvonne – hence that derogatory adjective
I can just picture that happy gappy grin….great imagery there 🙂
thank you Lillian – we were less self conscious once though still I squirmed at the camera
Good one, Laura…holding back my off-white smile.
good on you – so natural 🙂
Humans are strange creatures. (K)
that made me smile Kerfe
That’s good–we all need some smiles.😊
An interesting review of the smile! I remember those school photos. I hadn’t thought of a smile being like a jungle creature!
yes its a signal of fear, anxiety etc and hence monkeys and apes may attack after a top and bottom teethed grin/grimace! Another reason to rethink Darwin!
:>) Watch out for the smile!
I bought a camera on my birthday last year, I mostly click nature photographs. I can understand why one pointed at the face can make someone feel uncomfortable.
street photography is one of my interests though I am sensitive to the privacy due to people
Fantastic closing line🙌😀
thank you!
It is kind of funny examining the smiles in photographs over the years, they were oh so serious in Victorian times, and yeah now anything goes really, oh and the selfie pout lol!!
pouting and bare beaming – yuk!
Your quadrille resonates with me, Laura. I’m unphotogenic and hate having my photo taken, and those ‘frozen schoolgirl photos’ – yikes!
we are the pre-preen and pretend generation Kim 😉
great combination of the Victorian and the simian. Maybe that’s why they didn’t smile.
yes they had had half believed in Darwin’s ancestry theory
Being surrounded by snap-happy teens all day has seen me change these past 7 years. I’ve been even been known to make my own ‘content’!
There are still one or two kids who don’t want to have their photos taken but not many!
Bravo Shaun – you are up to the minute as it were
Well done, Laura, clever–though I do like smiles in photos. I always hate how I look in photos now, but I think of how much I love seeing my mom in them, so I want my children to have some of me.
a lovely reason Merril –
💙
Great poem, Laura! I’m a fan of taking photos, not necessary being in them. Lol!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂 you
Snap! I like to be behind the camera and don’t want smiling poses either
This reminded me of the time we were lined up for annual school photograph. As we stepped into teenage most of us would squirm and shuffle, though a few did preen!
Great write, Laura, especially the closing line.
That awkward age – I remember it well