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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Cottage


As we walk down the lane, under the canopy of trees,
The spectrum of color, green, tan, and brown...  
A  mosaic below as the trees begin to drop their leaves,
All the hints of autumn, here in this wee little town.

Off to the right, the young one, standing next to the mare,
As we arrive at the pasture, he steps, stumbles, is down...
The mare reaches her long neck, nudges with care,
Those long wobbly legs, struggling,  his footing as the clown.

We meander further down the lane, enjoying our walk,
Taking in the colors, but the sky grey, showing it's frown,
The droplets beginning to fall,  surely ending our talk,
We scramble, the ground slick from the bucket down.

Then as suddenly as it started, the down pour slows to a sprinkle,
A path, calling from its end, a small delicate gate, leaning down...
She hesitates,  I look up into her eyes, there is the twinkle,
Looking back over time, she is remembering the gown.

This was their cottage, first house, so it felt like home,
Pitter patter of small feet, above brow a simple crown...
Together they grew, but then he would roam,
To the river he went, but only to drown.

And forever would this cottage be empty and bare,
Everyone impacted within this wee little town....
For the loss of this loved one, no one could share,
To the river he went, but only to drown.

 Written for Willow's Magpie Tales no. 29

18 comments:

Rinkly Rimes said...

This house certainly looks sad. And we all seem to have reflected that. Your verses were sweet.

christine said...

A sadness in your poem that was so real, and yet it started with the beautiful descriptions.
Good Magpie Tale

anthonynorth said...

An excellent last line to this sad poem. Nicely done.

Tess Kincaid said...

Beautifully expressed. Lovely rhyme pattern. (Strange, since a husband of a previous owner of Willow Manor actually did drown in the river than runs behind WM!)

Friko said...

How very sad.

Elizabeth said...

Sad but lyrical, your poem reminds me of some of those old Joan Baez folk songs with that refain, "he goes to the river, only to drown." I loved that music when I was young, it haunted me, and your poem has that same haunting quality.

Elizabeth

Martin said...

I liked this sad tale.

Paul Andrew Russell said...

A very well written poem, and a perfect expression of the prompt.

Tumblewords: said...

Love the rhythm and rhyme of this piece - it sings of ballads and loss.

Teresa said...

Oh my goodness, this is so sad.

Reflections said...

Yes, as everyone has agreed, this was a sad poem. I tried to let the words flow in the direction of the feelings evoked in me by the picture.

Elizabeth - I don't remember the Joan Baez song with those lyrics, must have missed that one, but was a big follower of her music so there might be some influence there.

To everyone else, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. It left me sad as well.

Reflections said...

Willow - That is strange! I had no idea about the history of Willow Manor, or that a river runs behind it, much less such a loss. When I started the poem, I had no idea where it be at the end.

Brian Miller said...

oh...synchro moment there with willow...shivers. smiles. a sad tale..but wonderful form...and nice magpie!

Kathe W. said...

a sad story, but so lovingly told.

Amanda Moore said...

this seems so whimsical and yet so sad in the end, wonderful writing!

PattiKen said...

Oh, this is so sad. And now that I've read Willow's post about the previous owner's husband who drowned in the nearby river, it's a bit scary too. Seems you are channeling Willow Manor. Lovely poem, though, so I'm sure all concerned (wife, husband, and manor) will be happy.

Stella Jones said...

So what secrets does the cottage hold for the young family who lost their father? Did they fall upon hard times, causing the father to drown himself or perhaps it was an accident? I like this ambiguous endings, which allow us to muse and then make up our own minds.
Blessings, Star

Helen said...

I also felt your lovely Magpie to be lyrical. Well done!