Derelict
"She will reign on the cliff above the quay, this derelict house restored to her former beauty. No beast of the field, nor bird in the air shall wander her halls. Now she belongs to me." ~ quote by poet
As I walked along the cliff path early this morning
a fine mist seemed to enshroud the derelict home.
I always thought of it as if it was in deep mourning,
with its weeping willow's roots buried in the loam.
It had been abandoned when I was but a child.
I didn't know who had lived there, inside the walls
but I recall it always left me feeling quite beguiled,
wishing I could walk inside its fading carpeted halls.
Once, I'd peeked in a dusty window when I was ten
but Mother said it was dangerous and to stay away.
The ruins were haunted. I was not to go there again.
Twenty years later, she still sits, overlooking the quay.
And now, that I've returned to my childhood house,
my fascination with the abandoned home is peaked.
I brushed aside a cobweb and shooed away a mouse.
Carefully, I stepped on the porch steps that creaked.
Clapboards had fallen off; I recall they had been gray.
Bird nests were tucked between rafters and eaves.
A "Do not enter," sign was nailed across the doorway.
meant to keep out squatters and the likes of thieves.
I backed away and looked up at a broken windowpane,
as a seagull flew out, then swooped down to the shore.
Damage done by nesting birds and decades of rain.
Such a grand old dwelling, someone should restore.
I walked for a mile or more, thinking all the while
that if anyone's footsteps were to tread her halls
they'd be mine after returning her charm and style.
My hands would scrub, paint and repaper her walls.
I turned around and started jogging in her direction
until I stood before her with a smile upon my face.
"I will bring you back from dereliction to perfection
in a restoration to show off your splendor and grace."
February 7, 2023
Writing Challenge - D Words Contest
Sponsored by Constance La France
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