Sad Smiles

A reunion, finally
The sun shines down;
A family captured in a print,
children, naive in the front
elders behind,
smiles on every face
hiding troubles.

Grandma, in the center,
has wrinkled lines
of laughter, tears.
Past troubles have returned,
and yet she smiles so.

My aunt, to the side
knows her father is dying,
slowly, but
she doesn't let it show.

A single shoot
reveals the joy, the pain
of life, exposed memories:
Old, new, in-between.

The focus is on
the smiles of all
but the troubles of each
do not cease.