A Photograph by Shirley Toulson

Shirley Toulson’s poem “A Photograph” is a touching poem about the poet’s memories of her mother and the pain of losing her. The poem begins with the poet looking at an old photograph. It shows her mother as a young girl, around twelve years old, standing with her two cousins, Betty and Dolly, at the beach. They are holding hands and smiling at the camera while their hair blows in the breeze. The poet describes the photo as being mounted on cardboard, which tells us it is quite old. She also notices how the sea in the background has not changed much, but the girls, especially her mother, have changed a lot over time. The phrase “terribly transient feet” is a figure of speech called alliteration (repetition of 't' sound) and also synecdoche, where “feet” stands for the whole person. It shows how short and temporary human life is especially when compared to natural objects like the sea.

In the second part of the poem, the poet recalls how her mother used to laugh when she saw the photograph. Her mother would point out her cousins and the way they were dressed for the beach. This shows that her mother had fond memories of that day. The poet says, “The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter,” meaning that for her mother, the trip to the beach was a happy memory, but for the poet, the memory is of her mother laughing. The poet also writes about the pain of loss using the phrase “the laboured ease of loss,” which is an oxymoron ("laboured ease") —it means that even though the pain of losing someone becomes familiar over time, it never becomes easy. This composure has been achieved with a lot of emotional labour.

In the final part, the poet shares that her mother has been dead for about twelve years—the same age her mother was in the photograph. This adds to the sadness and depth of her feelings. She ends the poem with the line, “Its silence silences,” which is a powerful metaphor and repetition. It shows that the poet is so deeply affected by her mother’s death that she has no words left to express her grief. The silence of loss leaves her silent too. Indeed, grief has no language.

Overall, “A Photograph” is a gentle and emotional poem that shows how time passes, people grow old, and loved ones are lost. But photographs and memories keep those moments alive. The main themes of the poem are loss, memory, the passage of time, and the contrast between nature (like the sea, which stays the same) and human life (which keeps changing). Toulson uses simple yet strong language to express how personal loss can leave a deep silence in a person's heart.