Queen Elizabeth And Me

In my cell I have a picture of Queen Elizabeth taped to a cork board. Actually, at the time of the photo she was Princess Elizabeth. 

I am very moved by it. In it she is walking toward the camera looking to her right at a wall of soldiers all standing at attention dutifully. Her expression is relaxed, bright posture, mouth curved in a slight smirk almost. More about this photo in a moment though.

In another photo I no longer have, the Princess is laughing hysterically with friends in a lightly treed park somewhere. She is light, airy, unaware of her powerful presence in that moment. I wasn't intrigued by any of her photos, or anything Royalty based, until I received the one hanging up in my cell. 

The contrast in presence alone is strong. In the photo of her walking pass the soldiers it seems as though she has just realized her authority and position in life. In fact, I'd be willing to bet on it. Like she has just had that all inspiring "Aha!" moment where her trajectory in life was made clear and this one photo is the instant she accepted such things. This is, of course, my interpretation.

I also have Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn, but neither give me more hope for my future than that picture. I couldn't tell you why, but it certainly does.

With Love
Jeff