A Hovel In the Woods

I stumbled on a hovel in the woods
Dug in a foothill roofed with mossy shakes.
Inside, its furthest wall was made of stones
Piled high to make a chimney and a hearth.
Two stovepipes served as draft to bring in air.
No window spent what little warmth there was.

Who built this cell and for what purpose built?
If navvies built some shelter from the cold,
Then why not near to any railroad tracks?
A two day hike from any farm or town,
It made too far a lovers’ rendezvous.
Was it to help someone who’s lost survive?

Unlikely as it was, it might have been,
But only those who know to look can see
So meadowed as it is in growth and slope.
Opposing thumbs can easily unlatch
Its door inviting all who enter in
And equal welcomes guest or ghost alike.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2017



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Date: 12/18/2020 10:26:00 PM
Curiosity if an adventurer or mystic thoughts of a writer...things are around for some purpose...any of them. Beautifully described. Would like to stop by to see it. I'm curious. Any pic??
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Wilson-Floyd Avatar
Stephen Wilson-Floyd
Date: 12/20/2020 12:20:00 PM
I grew up in Alaska that has a checker-board history of homesteading official and non-official. I even had a friend who built a sort of recreation hut on what I'm sure was railroad land not far from tracks. The subject of the poem was based on my fascination with many derelict buildings like this.
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