The 'Beautiful' Ghetto


In my mind is a place of unbearable beauty,
     So agonizing to recall the charm;
A place, so lovely and pretty, rows of homes,
             And lace curtains billowing in the breeze.
                            The place of my early childhood

My family left this home far behind, we moved,
     But in my mind this place remained beautiful;
Many, many years have passed, life has gone forward,
                And I return for the first time.
                              The beauty shattered in my mind.

Replaced by the reality of an inner city ghetto,
     Devastated, rundown, ravaged rows of houses;
Boarded up, crumbling, gone to waste and ruin,
                  It is almost to much to fathom.
                               Yet there is a shadow of the beauty.

And as I view the destruction of time passed,
     Houses fallen and given way to neglect;
I realize my memory is no longer a valid thing,
                   Closing my eyes, I recall the loveliness.
                                   A time I had placed on a pedestal.

Gone, gone, gone is the existence of beauty,
    Only and forever living in my wandering mind;
In the mind of a child, happy and safe, playing,
                    Where nothing horrible ever happens.
                                    The place of my early childhood.

__________________________
March 10, 2014


Poetry/Verse/The 'Beautiful' Ghetto
Copyright Protected, ID 03-548-451-10
All Rights Reserved, 2014, Constance La France
Copyright © | Year Posted 2014


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Date: 8/7/2016 7:23:00 PM
Broken Wings, congrats on your placement with this remarkable poem sweet lady :)-luloo
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Date: 8/6/2016 2:29:00 PM
We must hang on to our precious memories, for often they are more beautiful than what is left behind. Lovely work once again, Constance! Congratulations on your win!
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Date: 8/6/2016 8:22:00 AM
You captured the spirit of loss and the beauty. Congrats Constance.
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Date: 8/6/2016 2:10:00 AM
Broken, Congratulations on your wonderful win. Stop by my blog "BOSSY COW." if you'd like, enjoy my sheer, simple madness. Hugs ~LINDA~
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Date: 4/18/2015 6:06:00 PM
Broken, Congratulations on getting the placement your poem did not get the first time... LINDA
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Date: 4/15/2015 8:30:00 PM
Beautiful pen, sad , but beautiful and a photo to match it's beauty, 7 and congratulations on your win. Blessings eve
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Date: 4/15/2015 7:18:00 PM
It was long ago, but I am still so sorry for your loss, and congrats for your win; smiles :)
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Date: 4/15/2015 8:58:00 AM
BW, so glad to see your moving poem received the higher placement it deserved. Congratulations! Hugs, Sandra
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Date: 4/15/2015 5:17:00 AM
Such a moving write broken wings - time marches on and our memories remain - Ive been back to my childhood home - wish I'd not now how it had changed beyond all recognition :-( so glad to see this showcased - congrats:-) Hugs Jan xx
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Date: 4/11/2014 4:26:00 PM
It describes so much about going back... It's never the same... Well written.
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Date: 3/22/2014 6:54:00 AM
As time marches on, it tramples the past's precious memories underfoot. When we return, nothing is quite as we remember. Awesome writing.
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Date: 3/14/2014 12:03:00 AM
oh my goodness, I really can relate to this one, Constance. Thinking of some beautiful places in my memory and how they are just not that way any more, just the shadow of the beauty remains. So sad. Glad to see you posting a new one. Luv, Andrea
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La France Avatar
Constance La France
Date: 3/16/2014 8:08:00 AM
Thank you Andrea.
Date: 3/11/2014 2:54:00 PM
Love this sad but beautiful heartfelt write, my friend. Thanks very much - great contest. Hope you're having a great week xx
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La France Avatar
Constance La France
Date: 3/16/2014 8:12:00 AM
Thank you Jack.
Date: 3/11/2014 11:16:00 AM
This is so beautiful and sad. The melancholy tone, brings a tear to my eye. We all harbor a memory of our childhood, and for some the beauty lingers in our minds, and that cannot become the shambles of reality. You will always have this memory to cherish. ...... Thank you Constance, for your support in the recent contest. And I pray that your eyesight is better with time... Best wishes!!
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La France Avatar
Constance La France
Date: 3/16/2014 8:18:00 AM
Thank you Carrie.
Date: 3/10/2014 10:08:00 PM
I remember your original write, it was also quite tender and full of emotion, both of these poems are done masterfully, and I love both of them equally! I surely enjoyed reading this astounding piece this evening! What a grand poem, Great Work!!
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La France Avatar
Constance La France
Date: 3/16/2014 8:18:00 AM
Thank you Russell.
Date: 3/10/2014 4:15:00 PM
Reads like a winner to me..I don't know if based on fact but I see it everywhere...What was once beautiful and well cared for property is now run down..I guess that things must change but I would always hope that they would change for the better..Thanks for the honor of being on your winner's list..Sara
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La France Avatar
Constance La France
Date: 3/16/2014 8:27:00 AM
Thank you Sara.
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