3x2 / 2-1
3x2
I
There are six polaroid pictures
crookedly aligned, 3 by 2.
Taped to the off-white dorm wall next to my bed.
The one in the middle of the bottom row,
sandwiched between pictures of my friends and me,
is us.
This is our first and last picture together.
It’s a constant reminder
that you’re right there,
but just out of reach.
You’re right there,
watching as I work,
or as I sleep,
or as I weep for your absence.
If only I could go back to that moment
so perfectly captured in that glistening,
laminated photo.
When I was so blissfully unaware
that night was the last
I would call you mine.
Although a picture has no sound,
my mind is filled with the echo of our laughter.
A picture cannot touch,
but I can feel your hand on my waist.
A picture has no scent,
but your cologne envelopes me.
And perhaps you knew
it would be the end,
but on my wall
there are two people
happily in love
with no thoughts
of the end.
2-1
David Shopper
II
I ripped your dumb face off the wall.
You stayed there
for three months,
longer than I should’ve
left you.
I cut us apart
Leaving me intact,
and you in pieces.
Opposite of what truly happened.
I threw the bits in a
jar full of water,
and I shook you around.
Maybe your new girl
who you tried to keep hidden
would never do that,
but I would.
I sprinkled the shredded
bits in the trash.
Sweet revenge for what you did.
The lies you told,
the secrets you kept,
and the promises you broke.
You unadded me,
and I unadded you
from the wall
of people I love.
- Anika Babb
About the Creators
Anika Babb
Anika Babb is a sophomore at Endicott College where she is studying psychology with a minor in creative writing. She has always loved the arts, as she was involved with the Ipswich theater department during her time at the middle and high school. She really fell in love with writing at the start of her freshman year of high school and carried on taking numerous classes that focused on creative and screen writing through high school, and now during college. She draws a lot from her personal life and expresses it via her works, whether it’s a poem or a story.
David Shopper
David Shopper is an Ipswich-based advertising photographer. David specializes in corporate portraiture and lifestyle, and has been creating images that brand companies for over 3 decades. David is also a trustee of Montserrat College of Art.