Her smile in the morning when she rises,

sleep still in her eyes, and tells me she slept well.

Her face framed in perfectly disheveled hair.

Pictures in frames, echoing smiles

that stay with me. Even though some are gone,

leaving scars I’ve learned to live with,

with or without the assist of the still images.

And the newest one for this list:

Our puppy, sniffing around for just the right place,

finally learning to lift his leg to pee!