In 1878 Muybridge proved by photography
how when a horse gallops, an absolute flabbergast,
all four hooves are in the air simultaneously.

I’d love to see a photograph from the past –
Aunt Léonie dunking, in lime-blossom tea,
that madeleine for her nephew’s light repast.

Roland Barthes, in Camera Lucida, proposes
that the truth of lineage is most manifest
in photos – thin-lipped mouths or retroussé noses.

I could strike a pose at the top of Everest,
but even if I smile or say cheese for such poses
there’s no guarantee I won’t look depressed.