A Winter Beach on Cape Cod
by Fred EhrlichSand, snow and ice are layered on the cliffs;
clouds and ocean lie on the horizon.
This was before the days of pixels
and our endless ability to record what is here.
I had taken a few photographs
when Emma, my granddaughter, grabbed the camera out of my hands
and began to snap.
I scolded, "Don't just photograph everything!"
Now, Emma has grown and I am old,
one of the photos she took is taped to the wall of my study.
It shows a girl in winter clothing running hard on the beach
just above the surf-line.
On the rare occasions that someone is interested in my collections
I tell them, "This is Emma's picture."
They do not know that Emma was the photographer, not the runner.
"Genius" is a word we apply to men and women
who produce a body of original work.
The "genius of childhood' makes us see
with the excitement of first discovery.
Emma and I are grateful to each other.
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