The School Photograph

There's John and beside him, Mary with her hair ribbon undone, Peter, Gordon and Barbara, the girl I had a crush on in Grade 3. Then of course, S y l v i a, the saintly genius who had it all. That's Patricia with the scowling face, Robert with the immaculate shirt and tie and Eddy, poor little Eddy the go to clown of the grade. He used to pee his pants in class. No one wanted to sit next to him. There's Helen with those blue eyes that looked right through you, although gray here in black and white. Julie in the back row standing a full head height above everyone else, the tallest kid in the class. Who's that…Stephen I think, head down, crippled with shyness. Kevin, Karen and Elizabeth, and there's Jack, we used to call him “wacko”...always wanted a fight. I heard he was killed in Vietnam in 67. Michael with a toothless grin. There's Lena and Jan, the Polish kids. A year or two after this, I think half the class were immigrants. Some I can't recall their names. And that's me…. looking lost, miles away. And next to me… what was her name. She was so sweet, died later that year. Never told how or from what. I wonder how many more now have joined her from the fading faces in this school photograph.