A mosaic of grime blurs the view
through the only window left whole
on this homestead, abandoned to vermin
and weeds grown leggy through the floor.
The fields beyond cast an Impressionist’s haze —
matte pastels of wheat, barley, sky. In the bedroom,
I find a rag doll missing an arm. I cradle her,
feel the ache of mule-pulled plows,
drought-bleached days.
– Sarah Russell
First published in Red Eft Revie
PS Be sure to read the best poem ever about an abandoned farmhouse by Ted Kooser. Here’s the link.
Nice description of an old house. I liked the doll. It helps brings to mind that people once lived there.
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Thanks, Frank. Yes, I guess a doll suggests family, doesn’t it. Hadn’t thought about it when I wrote it. I was just mentally going from room to room.
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The old house seems to be brooding and missing all its stories specially when having to be with a broken doll. Very nicely crafted.
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Thanks, Sumana. When I visit old homesteads they always seem to echo stories. Wish I knew them all.
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Old dolls and children’s toys in general are about the most atmospheric additions to an abandoned room. I like the mule-pulled ploughs too.
In the attic in our house there’s an ancient pram, like the one in Rosemary’s Baby. Gives me the creeps but the youngest wants to keep it…
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That would give me the creeps too, Jane. But it might be worse if you got rid of it. Your youngest seems to have made friends with the spirit who lives there. A good thing!
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She has nerves of steel. Either that or she’s missing that basic human component of irrational fear 🙂
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Then entire post is stunning — the illustration you’ve selected and the words you’ve writ. The words can easily stand alone.
a grimy mosaic……….perfect for this place and this one window’s view
I love every phrase and I think these words the most:
“The fields beyond cast an Impressionist’s haze —
matte pastels of wheat, barley, sky. ”
The ending beautifully suits the illustration and the mood you’ve created.
Thank you so much for posting this to the prompt.
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It was a great prompt, Lillian. It could have gone so many ways. I’d been working on this poem ever since visiting the Davieshire plantation outside Memphis, so this presented an opportunity to finish it.
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And so glad you did! 🙂
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The shadows and darkness themes are prevalent in your poem. Love this brush:
Impressionist’s haze —
matte pastels of wheat, barley, sky
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That’s how fields always seem to me, Grace, especially when there is the dust of reaping or fog in the morning. I step right into Cezanne and Renoir — where I love to live anyway!
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Not just the doll, but the missing arm. A tiny detail that takes it from an empty, abandoned homestead, to a place filled with the mists of lives lived out within. That’s what takes this over the top.
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Thanks, Charley. High praise!
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You are welcome!
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Oh Sarah!, your poem is stunning! From the ‘mosaic of grime’ and the ‘weeds grown leggy through the floor’. I especially love:.
‘…the ache of mule-pulled plows,
drought-bleached days’.
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Thanks so much, Kim.
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I did enjoy this. You create such a poignant mood. I love abandoned properties, trying to reconstruct their former lives and those of the people who inhabited them.
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I do that too, Victoria. Have you read Ted Kooser’s poem “Abandoned Farmhouse?” He’s the master! Here’s the link: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52935/abandoned-farmhouse
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He is phenomenal. I will check out that one. Can’t remember!
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Oh, that poem. So sad, says each word.
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I love the ‘impressionist haze’!
And there is a sweet, recognizable ache that comes across.
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Thanks, Kathy. That life had to be so hard.
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I love your write!!!
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Thanks, Annell!
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The cradling of that broken doll & the pull on the heart. There is much that is maternal, nurturing and heartbreaking in your poem.
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Thanks, Jilly. Can’t help feeling for the women who lived in that kind of conditions.
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I love exploring abandoned homes….but I always take a walking stick in case of snakes. I like how you brought humanity to the house by the mention of the rag doll. I hope you kept it.
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Thanks, Kanzen. I’ve never thought of carrying a walking stick. Maybe I should…
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