I Was A Home Once

Dennett
Dennett
Jul 26, 2017 · 2 min read

In Response to Photo Prompt by Jim Reeves in
Hopes and Dreams for Our Future

Photo Credit: Jim Reeves on Medium

I stand, shrouded and secret,
An old house,
Some believe to be a shed —
Not true,
I am, or was, a house —
A home.

I had a family,
Warm fires,
Supper smells,
Giggles and heartbreaks,
Cut fingers and broken bones,
Baby birthings,
Christmas wrappings,
Weddings and
Deaths.

I was a home once,
Crowded and cozy
Brimming with love
And life,
Music tickling my walls
Dancing feet frolicking
On polished floors,
Laughter bouncing off
Shining windows -
I was a home once.

Time passed,
Children grew tall
Like trees in my yard,
Brighter lights beckoned,
Leaving, one by one,
’Til only two remained —
Softer sounds,
Dimmer lights,
’Til she left on a stretcher
And only one remained.

Still a home,
But no laughter,
No music,
Quiet days,
Quieter nights,
Dusty sills,
Dingy paint,
Sounds of tears
Echoing in the night.

’Til one morning,
No footsteps,
No coffee smells,
Just silence -
Deep, dense silence.
Others came and
He left, blanketed and silent,
Never to return.

Graying adults,
Once laughing children,
Emptied my rooms,
Pillaged my closets,
Packing and tossing,
Grabbing and throwing.
Leaving me nothing
And
No one.

Now I shelter
Creatures of the night
And slithering serpents,
As my walls wither
And my roof sags
Rain and snow
Gather where
Children once played
And a family lived.

I was a home once.

Dennett

Written by

Dennett

I was always a writer but lived in a bookkeeper’s body before I found Medium and broke free — well, almost. Working to work less and write more.

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