Lit only by dust covered window panes
this silent place lies dormant filled with tales
of glory days, resplendent lives lived out
in sunlit rooms, each treasure stored with care.
A trunk of clothes, a box of toys and books,
a mirror aged beyond repair reflects
a queer old painting in its gilded frame
All harken back to brighter days below.
Between the piles there stands a chimney stack
of handmade brick, each with precision laid.
It holds a secret high where mortar’s cracked
so deeply wedged a century ago.
Two letters penned by one but never sent
an unrequited love and death described.
A broken heart and wounded soul lost hope
and brought a silence to this regal home.
So simply answered if one only found
the truth behind the riddle of this place
not haunted but so haunting is the air
an overwhelming hush one dare not break.
So climb the stairs and take a look just once,
free this old mansion from its mourning cloak.
No ghost dwells here, just legend buried high
awaiting chance to end this senseless curse.
Author notes
Written January 5th, 2006
What did you think
Comments
1 - 11 of 11
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a place holds things, a those who wish can sometimes perceive such feelings and moods in a place, wonderful narration here, and the house as a metaphor to pasts and lives held in spiritual suspension works well, but the images are enough to spellbind...PK
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The poem is as atmospheric as the place it describes. Excellent work.
Mark
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Susan, this is elegant, sweet , sad and wonerfully worded, from start to finish it held me and the emotion this piece gives out goes straight to the heart,one of my faves I have read by you...peace ogre
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And all of this from an empty house??? Such is the foundation of a fertile imagination and a well sharpened pen. Nice work as usual.
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There is a steady cadance to these moving words. The tale is animated. The reader is lured by your descriptions. A superb writ. I can almost smell the dust, and hear the silence. The title is where the metaphor begins. A fine weaving runs through the poem with a wonderful thread. Stellar!
Much Love,
Renee
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You gave us such an intense visual with your descriptive words. In the first half of this piece, I honestly thought I heard laughter filling the sunlit rooms. A time when this was a cheerful place to be, but it lost its luster when a love was not reciprocated-I'm not sure if the unknown party died or went on to someone else and the relationship was just dead. Either way, the house lost it's hospitable appeal - like it changed personalities and took on a form of darkness.
You continue to prove what a master you are with the pen-this falls into that category, as well. I want there to be a part two.....Brilliantly penned!~vj
(Okay, can I have my quarter now?) -
Yep, remembered this and still like it very much!
Wonderful imagery and mood created. Your meter is lovely, no rhyme is needed, so its absence is hardly noticed.
~Gen
Edited on Jan 06, 3:15 because 'typo'. -
Excellent
Such a telling tale this is! Beautifully worded and appreciated for flow and imagery... just a fantastic write my friend! ~John -
Makes me think of the treasures of Grandma's attic!
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This is fabulous blank verse, Susan. I didn't count, but it feels like steady iambic pentameter all the way through. And what a touching story of lost love and heartbreak. It was very pleasant to wander through the images of this old house and wonder what happened.
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Beautifully emotional.
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