An Old Factory in Footscray

It has stood abandoned for years,
the toxic soil too costly 
for developers to clean up.
It's vast, dark, gutted interior 
echoes an absence.

And yet a tuft of grass
has pushed up through the oil
soaked concrete floor beneath
a shaft of sunlight falling
from a hole in the ceiling.

It grows on this narrow stage,
a thin beam of light enough
to sustain it and drip a little 
moisture down for it to sip. 
It clings onto life

as a poem does, pushing
through a crack in the soul,
seeking out enough light 
for it to live for awhile 
in a hostile world.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024


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Date: 11/5/2024 3:00:00 AM
Heya Paul, I think it was Aristotle that said, (Nature abhors a vacuum) and your tuft of grass finding a niche in the concrete floor is living proof he was right, your analogy with a poem pushing through a crack in the human soul is quite beautiful and profound, you have a poets soul for sure, cheers David
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Date: 11/3/2024 12:22:00 PM
Your imagery could also describe some people who cling to life through little more than a ray of sunshine and the hope for a better existence is this toxic world. Faith lingers for a reason
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