The Family As It Tried to Be

It is ok to remember the family
as it tried to be
when the grown ups dressed for weddings
and the children washed for church
the flush of good behavior
in the face of others
sounding smiles,
that met the traffic
of the best of times,
the buzz of greeting
waiting to the point
and laughing
with cheeks as red as nectarines,
each a take of moments mirrored
and stored somewhere.