It's Still Life

11 Nov: NovPAD Day 11

Our Old House on Quarry Road … (or Just Another House)

That old odd house with its settling shadows,
its scrapes and snaps and window rattles,

our odd house that resisted our words and weight.
A house begging for a lifeline, whose misplaced

memories hanging in the attic with winter’s long
black sorrow and wind humming funeral songs.

We made jokes of the noises, told ourselves
little fibs of reason, said it was the ghost of

Dick Turpin and his horse Black Bess, but nobody
explained away that crow-black wiry hair dog sat

by the hearth, and in truth at night I’d fill my lungs,
and count to three. To sleep, at least to dream.

Words: 161. These poems/prose are draft versions, written in participation of Miz Quickly’s prompts (a few words) and Writers’ Digest (Poetic Asides) “Scary” November poem-a-day challenge. The aim: to produce a chapbook for submission. ©Misky 2022 Shared with #amwriting on Twitter. Image is mine created with AI on Midjourney.

Misky

Nov 11, 2022

AI Art, Miz Q, napowrimo, PA, Poetry

21 responses to “11 Nov: NovPAD Day 11”

Michele Marsh

Nov 11, 2022 at 12:44 pm

Beautiful ending Misky
Was that a childhood home?

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1. Misky
  
  Nov 11, 2022 at 1:01 pm
  
  No, we lived there about 20-years ago, when the boys grew up. Our current house is newer and smaller. Not as interesting though.
  
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  1. Michele Marsh
    
    Nov 11, 2022 at 5:38 pm
    
    Your garden is delightful from the poems you’ve written over the past few months I seem to recall ❤️
    
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    1. Misky
      
      Nov 11, 2022 at 6:15 pm
      
      Yes, we enjoy a bit gardening. Fruit and veg, grapevines, fruit trees, and flowers. It’s good fun.
      
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      1. Michele Marsh
        
        Nov 12, 2022 at 11:25 am
        
        👍🥰
        
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Ron.

Nov 11, 2022 at 6:22 pm

My thumbs are up, M.

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1. Misky
  
  Nov 12, 2022 at 11:56 am
  
  Thank you, Ron.
  
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Debi

Nov 11, 2022 at 7:36 pm

Love it. Was there really a crow-black wiry hair dog. That could be cool… or scary. Hope you had sweet dreams.

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1. Misky
  
  Nov 12, 2022 at 11:59 am
  
  The dog was real. I saw it a few times. My youngest saw it more often. Our dog saw it all the time, barking frequently at the wall or the fireplace. In all those years, I think I saw it three times.
  
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  1. Debi
    
    Nov 12, 2022 at 12:14 pm
    
    That is so interesting. Did it feel creepy or just kinda “oh, hey, little cutie?” I had a friend whose house was “haunted” by a friendly ghost.”
    
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    1. Misky
      
      Nov 12, 2022 at 12:22 pm
      
      Gave me a big fright at first. I saw it out of my peripheral vision, and when I turned my head, there it was … and then POOF it was gone. I think what unnerved me more was our own dog barking at the wall (same spot always) in the dining room because she obviously saw something that I couldn’t. I can’t say that I got used to it, but it didn’t frighten me so much after a few years. But human ghosts scare the crap out of me.
      
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      1. Debi
        
        Nov 12, 2022 at 1:35 pm
        
        What a scary cool experience. Not that I’m hoping to experience myself.
        
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qbit

Nov 12, 2022 at 2:46 am

“house that resisted our words and weight” – very cool.

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1. Misky
  
  Nov 12, 2022 at 12:00 pm
  
  Well, you have to attribute all those creaks and groans to something! LOL.
  
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whimsygizmo

Nov 12, 2022 at 3:06 am

Goodness. I love these lines so much:
“memories hanging in the attic with winter’s long
black sorrow and wind humming funeral songs.”

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1. Misky
  
  Nov 12, 2022 at 12:11 pm
  
  Thank you, De. It was a very, very old house – drafty as all get-out.
  
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The Sicilian Storyteller

Nov 12, 2022 at 3:21 pm

What a grand pic that is! Poem suits it perfectly … or is it the other way around?

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1. Misky
  
  Nov 12, 2022 at 5:07 pm
  
  Thanks! Wrote the poem first, then created the image (in this case).
  
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Vinny

Nov 12, 2022 at 10:21 pm

Great poem Misky! Years ago our dog would go into the corner of the living room, sit looking up and wagging her tail. Bit like when someone would stroke her head! Was very odd.

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1. Misky
  
  Nov 12, 2022 at 10:53 pm
  
  Yes, that sounds very familiar. We had an interesting vet in the village who said, when I told him about our dog barking at the wall, … be glad she’s not crying.
  
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  1. Vinny
    
    Nov 16, 2022 at 9:41 am
    
    That’s good advice! It was very odd. Lasted a couple of weeks then it was back to normal.
    
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