sara Etgen-Baker Poet Ekphrasis

Notes About The Poem

"The House of Seven Gables" painting by Charles Wysocki

"Charles Wysocki (1928-2002) was an American painter known for his primitive artworks that depict a stylized version of American life, particularly the horse and buggy era. His works have been widely reproduced in various forms, including art prints and jigsaw puzzles." (Source: Wikipedia.com)

House of Seven Gables

Wysocki’s world always feels like a place paused in time,  
and here the old house rises with its many angles~  
gable stacked upon gable  
like thoughts a century deep.  

The clapboard walls hold the color of weathered memory,  
a soft, seasoned brown  
that seems to remember every storm  
and every quiet morning after.  

Windows watch from every direction,  
small square eyes  
that have seen too many seasons  
to be surprised by anything now.  

A cat sits on the fence  
as if appointed guardian of the view,  
tail curled in the calm certainty  
that nothing important escapes its notice.  

The yard is tidy in that Wysocki way~  
grass trimmed, path swept,  
a place where time moves slowly enough  
for chores to feel like rituals.  

Standing in front of it
I sense a rush of stories
that never needed telling~
a house content to keep its history
folded into wood and windowlight.

The house feels like a pause in time,
a place where the wandering mind
can rest a moment
and imagine the lives still echoing inside.

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