The House with Turrets

She lived in a house with turrets,
on the top floor,
bird like and dressed in black,
older than anyone I had ever seen
yet full of spirit.

We ran away, my father and I
lived in a small village
just outside of Dinard
where wild strawberries grew
and I dreamt about
making an ant farm
with the flying ants.

I travelled to school
with a bus load of other children,
too far to cycle
and my best friend and I
held hands

and then I left

We visited the house with turrets,
I ate these little cakes
called wonders in the kitchen
and didn't see the old lady
dressed in black,

I just saw rainbows in oily puddles
and moaned about rubber boots
that brought up blisters
became allergic to strawberries
and went to boarding school

That was the year I was 6
and I never did make an ant farm
or run away to the circus
of climb the old pines
to collect the cones
that burned on a fire
on someones Christmas pyre,




Poetry by Elle The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 737 times
Written on 2015-08-12 at 20:01

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Jamsbo Rockda The PoetBay support member heart!
Beautiful and sad. Your memory is so vivid for a 6 year old. It has a wonderful feel, similar to the monologues in the movie Stand By Me. Childhood recollections through little eyes.
2015-08-18


Ivan R
Melancholic and beautiful.
Longing for the old great scenes then lost, of course, but the sense of it all is of a great sigh ...

" I just saw rainbows in oily puddles ..."

Reminds the reader of that childhood when all was seen as beauty
2015-08-13


Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
This would be the dark side of nostalgia. You go back to retrieve what's been missed, and it's not there anymore.
2015-08-13



Well, probably life with the circus is not all it's cracked up to be :) I never cared much for clowns.

Recalls the great literary tradition of mysterious old houses: House of the Seven Gables, Great Expectations, etc. Very readable and a pleasure.
2015-08-12