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Our House

I sometimes wander past the house where we used to live.

I park across the road and contemplate

the things we used to do.

As much as I stare I cannot see within

and even if I could

I’d only see the strangers who occupy our house.

I wonder if deep into the night

our voices from years ago

Might penetrate the years

and our echo may softly rebound

Across the walls we used to own.

Happiness and laughter,

Sadness and tears,

all the things that happen

to people across the years.

It’s a little disappointing that the new owners seemed to see fit

to chop down my apple tree, the one I grew from a pip.

Of course now our roles are reversed:

Those who were once strangers are now familiar faces here

and I am now estranged

From all the things I once held dear.

 

pastlife

◄ View From the Urban Jungle

Time is in the Moment ►

Comments

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Starfish

Thu 12th Dec 2013 15:07

Aww this is lovely and thoughtfully put. I'd grow another pip.

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M.C. Newberry

Thu 12th Dec 2013 12:07

This surely touches a chord with all who have
moved on. Back in the early 60s, my parents
lived in a small house in the sticks on the
Wiltshire/Berkshire border. Not long ago, my
brother and I took a motor trip on my birthday
to see the place. It was strange to see how
much it had been altered by occupants since
our time there. It was another home entirely -
even had an extension added. The lines above
capture perfectly the oddness one feels when
witnessing the palpable passing of time in this
"concrete" fashion.
Excellent!

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Steve Higgins

Thu 12th Dec 2013 07:47

Hi Isobel,
sometimes its foolish to look back at better times, but who can help it? -I certainly can't. Thanks for reading, Steve

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Isobel

Wed 11th Dec 2013 13:01

I really like this.

I wonder if deep into the night
our voices from years ago
Might penetrate the years
and our echo may softly rebound
Across the walls we used to own.

I've gone back to areas I used to live in and looked at houses my kids grew up in - and it's a sad experience - beautifully expressed in those lines.

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