Back To Nature

"Can you feel the soul of an abandoned house;
can you hear the whispering? " 
Quote by _Constance La France 

I suspect that most major cities have abandoned houses.
I have lived in three large American cities, ranked in population, 
3rd (Chicago), 17th (San Francisco), and 35th (Sacramento).
Of all the abandoned housing sites that I have seen, none struck me
as sadly as those that I have seen in rural America these last 15 months.
Perhaps my suspicion ascends from my being touched by the site of them
because they represent a history and experiences with which I am familiar.

This write is forcing the question of whether it is better to be abandoned
than to be torn down; to be torn down or to be permitted to return to nature.
The torn-down factor deeply affects me personally, and I am grateful for the
opportunity to share this experience with fellow soupers and others.

There was once a plantation house occupied by my parents
and their family. It was our home where I and at least 10
of my siblings were born. It was a well-built house made
of concrete blocks. We were farm workers and never owners.
After our father had passed and I grew up and went off to
college, my mother was later asked to move.

Some 30-plus years later, I learned that some of those
plantation houses were moved and converted into hotel rooms.
Our house was not among them. Presently, I don't know what
became of our house where so much life was lived and a myriad
of memories were born. Whether brick and mortar or wood and
nails, or asphalt or tin and strews; And whether torn down
or permitted to return to nature, they are now gone to places
unknown to me.

Did our house and the others become a part of trees as some
others I have seen recently, or will the trees knock down
the house? Anyway, their usefulness had expired, and they
were abandoned with no one desiring them anymore.

Indeed, I feel the souls of those who resided in our abandoned
and torn-down house. I feel the souls of Grandma, Mother, Daddy,
8 sisters, 3 brothers, and a dog named Jack. Indeed, I hear the
whispers, the loud noises of children laughing and playing.
Indeed, I house a bank of a thousand memories and more.

052723PSCtest. Constance La France  
Contest Name. Writing Challenge - C Quotes -. 2P
Copyright © | Year Posted 2023

Poem

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Andresen Avatar
June 6, 2023 at 6:08 AM
- A house that was filled with laughter and tears... gone... but the memories live on - Congratulations on your win, Curtis -
Johnson Avatar
June 6, 2023 at 6:51 AM
Thank you, Anne-Lise.
Kendrick Avatar
June 4, 2023 at 8:58 AM
I agree it is sad to see a very well built house go down the drain in rural America when there are people who are homeless and could possibly live there and maybe even flourish. I enjoyed reading this winning work. Congratulations. Sara
Johnson Avatar
June 4, 2023 at 11:07 AM
Thanks for your comments, Sara.
Alex Avatar
June 4, 2023 at 1:23 AM
"I feel the souls of those who resided in our abandoned and torn-down house" - A very beautifully written poem. Congratulations!
Johnson Avatar
June 4, 2023 at 11:07 AM
Thanks, Christuraj.
La France Avatar
June 3, 2023 at 7:08 PM
Curtis, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful poem with us in my Writing Challenge congratulations and well done !
Johnson Avatar
June 4, 2023 at 11:09 AM
Thank you, Constance. And thanks for the opportunity. This has been weighing heavily on my heart for months.
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