A House, In Time.



This house has long since been forgotten -
Its floorboards groan and scream in
Remembrance of ghost’s footsteps treading still
Are the walls - whose only movement comes
From whispering winds sneaking secrets through the cracks.
Cracks - each a portal in time:
Here is a child falling, here is someone playing catch in the house,
Here is a first kiss, and here, well here is the present - a memoir.
Grass springs through the wooded ground,
Caressing the planks in nature's embrace.
A vision overtakes me, the house is gone -
Replaced by a great grass field full and wide.
The laughter of children wearing clothes unbeknownst to history echoes backward.
I sit down to better take in the feeling -
Dust kicking up in swirling moats that resembles
Solutions mix together in a beaker, becoming one.
This time, this life, this house: threads from a spool,
Whirling together to form a beautiful canvas.

I see a mother bathing her newborn babes.
I see a father putting food on the table.
I see a group of gamblers, a group of police,
A group of workers, a group of merchants,
Of scholars, of doctors, of farmers, of friends -
I see a blazing flame!
I see everything, but none of it at all.
The door creaks on its un-oiled hinges, squeaking in pain.
The sun no longer pierces the drapes,
The building becomes dark once again.
The clapboards drum against the building,
But the rhythm has long since died.
All I feel are the splinters of wood upon my fingers drawing blood,
No, that blood is dried.

About this poem

This poem was written based on trying to recapture old memories and look toward future ones. The general premise was to try and keep a strong visual image throughout.

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Written on March 18, 2022

Submitted by r49erfan on June 05, 2022

Modified on March 18, 2023

1:29 min read
43

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXXXXXXXXXXBXCXAXX XXXXXXXXXXCBXB
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,515
Words 298
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 18, 14

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    "A House, In Time." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/131316/a-house,-in-time.>.

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