In Happier Times

Some phrases have jobs, blue-collar

Specialties, there when you need them,

The same task, over and over.

In happier times, for instance,

Works strictly for photo captions,

Where it refers to whoever

Appears in the photo, always

Younger, sometimes singular, but

Often a couple, now and then

A group of friends or relatives

In happier times. Their stories

Differ, but the narrative arc

Is clear, even without reading

The rest of the caption or text.

The phrase seems the equivalent

Of one of those twee kitchen tools

With only a single function

In preparing one type of dish,

But it’s more like a laborer

For awkwardly specialized jobs—

Knife-grinding, say, printer repair—

Who still gets summoned casually,

As needed, but isn’t needed

As much as in happier times.