It was full of long stringy grass which had grown out, all over the back of the house. It hung over the bare walls. The briars were everywhere and they would prick you clean red blooded. The shed widows shattered and the door covered in heavy moss. the thick smoke running out from the chimney looked like it was about to go up in flames. The red ransomes lawnmower was rotted in rust and rooted to the ground by long grass.The clothes line had snapped in half. The tarmac laneway was cracked with weeds pumping out from underneath it all. Remodelling was out of the question. It remained untouched and there was no even sign that anything would change
pink roses hang heavy in the undulating heat
a partial arch over the laneway
gentle sway midst the silver dust
a youth with his pug dog pauses
half in shadow beneath the flowery portal
the air lit by scent from a hidden inside
the dog restless
pulls at its leash like harbored want
wing-like, the boy lifts the dog to better sniff
delightedly, blooms in the soft swell of summer
unfazed wonderment caught in the dog's wagging tail
cheerful in this limited space
before what a lad hopes to remember is shadowed by age
before what bridges gaps gets undone
an unpredictable moment
a chemistry
when we outreach ourselves
in a patchwork of senses
to know an airborne longing
in the pathways behind us
I move closer
to decipher the sound.
It is the wind blowing across
the lips of the morning
moistened by melting frost.
It speaks in whispers.
My footsteps seem loud
and echo along the walls
of the laneway before
breaking out
into the bright sunshine.
I would like to be silence,
a blank medium
on which every note
of the morning is written,
cupped to pick up
the slightest sound,
the breath of sparrow
as it passes near,
the rustle of a moth
folding back its powdery wings
and the pop of a bubble
bursting on the still waters
of a pond.
There are countless
symphonies being played
that ripple across this absolute
quiet, songs to ease a tear
from my old eyes
that I can almost…almost hear.
Down the roads of pride
The street of greed
The path of wrath
The avenue of Envy
Transport causeway on the thruway
I'll pass the corridor of by pass on the superhigh
In the alleyway parkway of lust
Boulevard route artery thruway pass gluttony
Overfull interstate dual carriageway secondary road laneway
Run over by my expressway
I need deliverance
A second chance to drive
I'll meditate on you God
Stay on your pathway
Deny ungodliness cultivate you good be transparent
I shall renew retake my driver's test
I confession been misleading
Racing away slowly impeding my blessings
Now REPENTIVE, turned around learnt my lesson
I've stopped driving left, now I'm driving right
Off the Road of Pride
4/29/23
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr 2023©