I Swear This Poem Didn’t Make Me Cry

George Oppen’s “From a Photograph” turns a wintry snapshot into a moving meditation on parenthood and the passage of time. Our critic A.O. Scott shows you what he loves about it.

Isabella Cotier

By A.O. Scott

Jan. 23, 2025

Poems aren’t pictures, but sometimes they try to make us see, and to make us feel in ways we might associate with acts of seeing. Some poems evoke the drama of famous paintings or the frozen beauty of Grecian urns. This one dwells on a more private image, a family snapshot, and on the elusive emotions and memories that live inside it.

0From   1a   2Photograph   3by   4George   5Oppen  

6Her   7arms   8around   9me 10— 11child 12—  

13Around   14my   15head 16,   17hugging   18with   19her   20whole   21arms 22,  

23Whole   24arms   25as   26if   27I   28were   29a   30loved   31and   32native   33rock 34,  

35The   36apple   37in   38her   39hand 40— 41her   42apple   43and   44her   45father 46,