For a quarter-of-a-century
this was my home.
Year by year
I seeped into every wall,
used my heart
to jump-start
the gentle buzz of life
until each room
was permeated
with the fragrance
of joy.
There were dusty shelves
and dirty windows,
unwashed floors
and unwelcome clutter covering every flat surface,
but
love
covered
a multitude of sins
and
laughter
rang
to the rafters.
Leaving was like
tearing a scab from a wound.
This house will heal —
but it will never
be mine
again.
*********************************************************************************
Frank is our host at dVerse today and challenges us to use a polyptoton somewhere in our poem. A polyptoton is a stylistic device in which a word derived from the same root is repeated (like “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord Acton).
We moved during the course of this year. Need I say more?
little learner 
Oct 25, 2019 @ 12:08:16
Interestingi approach to the polyptoton here LL — I enjoyed this, 🙂
Oct 25, 2019 @ 12:09:10
Thanks!
Oct 25, 2019 @ 15:31:56
Oh this is great. I especially love your lines, “love covered a multitude of sins and laughter rang to the rafters.”
And it pulled my heart strings when you talked about tearing a scab off a wound.
Hugs! ❤
Oct 25, 2019 @ 17:07:26
Thank you! ♥️ Hugs back!
Oct 25, 2019 @ 17:07:55
😊❤❤
Oct 25, 2019 @ 16:10:41
oh, lovely. I wrote an entire memoir about the pain of leaving a house.
Oct 25, 2019 @ 17:07:01
Taking a bit of time for me to adjust! Thank you! ♥️
Oct 25, 2019 @ 17:35:29
A beautifully nostalgic piece! Well done.
Oct 25, 2019 @ 18:05:51
Thank you! ♥️
Oct 25, 2019 @ 17:59:53
Even the “unwelcome clutter” will be missed. Very nice description of your home.
Oct 25, 2019 @ 18:07:05
Thank you. And thanks for the prompt! I learned something new. 😊
Oct 25, 2019 @ 18:06:45
So many great lines in this one. A sad tribute to an old home – and the very nature of change itself.
Oct 25, 2019 @ 18:09:36
Thank you. Interesting how facing the feelings through writing helps to let go.
Oct 25, 2019 @ 20:25:01
These are lines I loved – the gentle internal rhyme of course, but mostly the notion of the self seeping into the walls – there is definitely some way – physical as well as metaphorical our molecules and auras interact with paint and plaster and sheetrock. And this metaphor of the jump-start with it implied reference to shocking the heart back to life – a sort of reversed allusion, was so well done!
I seeped into every wall,
used my heart
to jump-start
the gentle buzz of life
Oct 25, 2019 @ 20:48:12
Thank you! ♥️
Oct 26, 2019 @ 17:42:59
Having to leave a place were you have grown roots must be hard… it will take time to gain foothold again
Oct 26, 2019 @ 17:43:46
Thanks, Björn! ♥️
Oct 26, 2019 @ 20:58:15
Every time I see an abandoned house, I think of those who left it last. You’ve voiced the leaving well.
Oct 27, 2019 @ 06:21:18
Thank you. ♥️
Oct 27, 2019 @ 02:44:12
“I’ve seeped into every wall.” is a great line. It’s tough to change homes after a quarter century in one.
Oct 27, 2019 @ 06:22:28
It is! All the memories! 😊
Oct 27, 2019 @ 21:11:41
Joy and sadness intertwined–that’s life, isn’t it? (K)
Oct 28, 2019 @ 01:12:09
It is indeed. 😊
Oct 28, 2019 @ 02:03:35
Oh, I know this feeling. You expressed it so well.
Oct 28, 2019 @ 05:14:58
Thank you. Amazing how much our houses become like part of the family!