Peace and Pandemonium

A short story.
I bought a polaroid camera for five dollars at the Salvation Army.
It works great! Even the flash is still flashing.
Hooray!
But film is hard to find.
A thing of the past. :(

The bright side.
I had ten exposures of expired film.
Very very old.
Circa 2001.
A gift from my dad.
Thank you.

Ten precious clicks of the shutter.
What precious bits of wonder will I capture?
Almost afraid to "waste" a shot.
Finally, the nerve and the perfect opportunity.
Click!
Alas, only puke green.
Oh well.
May as well start clicking away.
Nothing to lose but puke green film framed in textured white.


Until...
It was the sixth attempt.
I watched her slowly appear.
The only image to develop into something.
She was perfectly framed.
How did I do that?
I don't know.
Pure luck.
This picture of my mom was the only photo out of ten to develop.




This picture is real. Authentic.
Not posed. Not altered. Not planned.
The variation of colors,
The warping caused by the age of the film,
The fact that only part of the image can be seen and the rest has been left unactualized.
These things tell the truth.
I love it.
I love her.
And I love being a mother.

What a beautiful gift that is given to women. :)
Happy Mother's Day.