Photo. by Wyatt Mischler

She’s fifty. It’s Christmas.
And the family—
Her husband, her two children, a dog, all recently
The subjects of an irrefutably logical argument—
Have been handled. The camera’s out.
Everyone’s been perfect.
She grabs them, and, just before the flash,
Stretches her lips as wide as they can bear.
Then relaxes. There. Done.
She takes lots of pictures. She loves to.
And no wonder! Look:
No one can strain their cheeks like her.
In every photo, she shows the most teeth.
She must have a thousand now.
She hopes to take a thousand more.
Because she’s fifty. Because it’s Christmas.