Jim,
The dreaded new passports arrived five minutes ago, now duly signed and put in a drawer until, as you rightly say, we have to suffer the indignity of being instantly recognised from a dreadful photo!
"Guile" would be a good word to choose (I hadn't thought of that one) if the poem were to be any longer, but I only want the -ile rhymes at line ends, rather than internally as well.
I'm usually hopeless at thinking of titles, but I was actually very pleased when I came up with Mug Shots, the definition of which is
a photographic portrait of a person from the shoulders up, typically taken after a person is placed under arrest. It amused me because the unsmiling, unflattering passport photo so often makes people look like a criminal.
As for "No pretense, no artifice. Just you being you," it's the way I've always written, and the only way I know how. I like the accessibility of everyday speech, whereas some poetry leaves me totally befuddled as to its meaning, which spoils the enjoyment for me. Call me lazy, if you like, but I really can't be bothered trying to figure out unintelligible writing if I don't understand what a poem is about!
Thanks again, Jim. Your thoughts are much appreciated.
Yves,
Ha! Yes, the exasperation is the thing, isn't it? The taking of umpteen photos and deleting them each time, only to have the one you send off rejected because "It looks as if your eyes are closed." That's what happened, and I thought it was rubbish about my eyes - so the one they accepted has me looking like I've seen a ghost!
Thanks for being cool with the poem. It's intended to be a cross between making light of the issue and being genuinely frustrated by it.
Jayne