I am crushed by the shape of what is missing.
I remember being here before in the quiet—
carrying the weight of rust and neglect—
encased in the void of a vanished world,
bleak as unturned steel.
The house I served is lost to the grounds,
demolished, bitter, left to its own decay,
reduced to a whisper of distant awe.
The beams that once carried warmth within
can no longer support their mangled frame.
Yet this brass still drags my resolve to belong,
heavy as a foundation of bricks and stones,
insisting that survival is something to endure.
We believe life’s splendor must be clear of stain,
but absence is a shadow you cannot ignore.
You are gone—you have been gone for years—
still your presence lingers, a voice in the woods;
louder than the machines that tore you apart.
Through the lingering stench of diesel and turned earth,
Memory is an artisan, bringing forth from shadow to light,
crafting its art from discarded planks.
I turn the key one more time in the dark—
And the phantom door opens.
No toys to play with,
she draws dolls on the dry soil
with soft soiled fingers.
The pale face is drenched,
not by joyous summer rain.
Is it dripping tears?
The sad wet eyes graze
on mother’s wilted body,
age drained before time.
Cute girl of sixteen,
doesn’t see the hues of sunrise,
sleep sags the eyelids.
She drags fragile feet,
goes out with mother to work,
holding her frail hands.
Are these only hope?
Feels the touch of scant safety,
childhood demolished.
Days in and days out,
she labors with her mother
working as a maid.
In her mangled mind,
ruined by storm of harsh times,
she outgrows her age.
The dreams of the child have died.
who beat me and left me for dead?
my back... my arms... my head...
the room's sort of spinning
this don't feel like winning
i think i'll just lie here instead
Where have they gone, our poor creatures of the wild?
Their forest lost, because of human cause-
sadly sprang to suburbs- having been exiled.
Invaded, they have fled by wings, hooves, and claws,
when before, in sync with nature, they had sought
only peace- now stolen, backed by new-found laws.
This was their home until wealthy buyers bought-
with no empathy- just standard disregards,
constructing mega-mansions without a thought.
Now- they are roaming into our private yards-
their world ended by construction engineers;
huge virgin forests bulldozed and shred to shards.
From their forest homes, protected many years-
they've been driven to unsafe, urban frontiers.
February 22, 2021
Premiere Contest: Your 2021 N/A Choice
Sponsor: William Kekaula
N/A in Contest: "While Mother Earth Gently Moans"
Judged March 18, 2021
Demolished by love
Demolished by love
My doors have been rattled
My cage has been rocked
The vessels are no longer
Moored to the dock
Thank you, love
My streets are abandoned
My town hall is closed
If you know any people,
Maybe go consult those
Not demolished by love
Demolished by love
Even in times of forgiveness
And relative peace and light rain
There's a part of me wants to consider
The debt that I hold and the strain
My brick buildings are toothpicks
My trees, vaporized
I once had an ego --
It's torn down to size
Demolished by love
That old baseball diamond
The old ice cream stand
Everything blown-up
According to plan --
If you have insurance
And ties to this world,
Get down in your storm cellar
Away from that girl
Or be demolished by love
We had expectations
Ideologies, even
Now watch as your every last
Earthly cause is beaten
And demolished by love
Digit tells
Dark rooms and wash rooms
Demolished
To house
In digital cameras
'To be demolished'
sternly pronounced Late Midday-
early morning' dreams
So she drowned in an empty, hollow pool
with happy, broken turquoise dolphins -
Falling tile and memories
of long lost giggled echoes
bubbles burst fading times
evaporating
maternity
no one knows
but her
heart...
Reversed Etherre
www.scripca.com
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