A Thousand Words

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Clear blue skies

with a warm, gentle breeze,

calm waves lapping the shoreline,

a little girl wading into the water

and running back out once she gets waist deep.

A warm evening,

twilight approaching the back roads of Sulzbach-Rosenberg,

the little girl playing catch

with her little brother, her mother, and a neighborhood friend

outside the tan three-family house.

A large moving truck,

one that says “Gentle Giants” on the sides,

large men loading the furniture and the piano

out of the blue and white house

and onto the truck,

awaiting the journey to a new house

in a new town.

The young girl,

now seven years old,

sits outside

in a little blue chair

waving “Good Bye” for the last time

to the house that contains countless memories.

Cold air nipping at everyone’s uncovered face,

frozen fingers and toes,

chilly winds tangling girls’ long hair

and making the chairlifts sway back and forth.

First run of the season,

a rush of excitement

as the girl speeds down the long white trail.

Summer night,

the sun has gone down,

and the only light is that of the stars

and the roaring campfire.

Girls weep as meaningful camp songs are sung,

some a cappella,

and others to the accompaniment of a single beautiful guitar.

The last day,

endless tears and hugs,

the exchange of addresses and phone numbers,

the spoken promises of never losing touch.

The teen-aged girl exchanges a final farewell

to the friends she’ll never forget.

This is my picture.

Worth a thousand words?

Yes, maybe,

but it is definitely worth more than that.

It’s worth a thousand memories,

a thousand laughs,

a thousand tears,

a thousand smiles.