A Story (Un)Told

An ode to a window.

This window,

As you would not believe,

Is the eye of this building.

 

With peeling paint

And a frost glazed sight,

It looks out and in.

 

Perhaps this window,

If it had the powers of speech,

Could tell us the story of a bird

As it nested for its future young

Or perhaps of the cat that slinks

By like a shadow in the night.

It could tell the story of the love inside

Or of terror,

If only it could peel its mouth

From its sills.

 

This window,

If you would believe,

Has secrets you could only ponder.

 

Sit at its sill

In the bright yellow light,

Listen to it rattle and squeak

For it is only trying to speak.

Watch it cry

Drops of cool rain,

Leaving trails of despair.

 

Perhaps if we could learn to listen

Or to watch like this guardian.

We could tell the stories

Of children screaming,

Yelling through the smoke,

Like that of an almost long forgotten dream.

Tell the story of the peeling paint

Cracked panes

And burnt sills.

 

This window,

As I have come to believe,

Has seen something terrible.

This window,

Like many others

Struggles to speak

Yet they are not blind

To what happens inside.

Author's Note

Tell me what you enjoy, what you dislike. Give me some ideas!

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This is an excellent poem. Starting out with "eye of this building" is a startling idea to plant in the reader's mind right away. "Peel its mouth from its sills" is brilliant animated writing. Verse 3 is good in that you give examples, but these are pretty ordinary examples -- could be pumped up a bit. V5 is the best aspect of how you use personification to bring this window to life. V6 is a fantastic allegory as to the strongest ingredient of good writing -- good observations. Well done! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[bob26]

Has a deep poignancy and realization about it. really like it. thought provoking.

[Iain L. Luen]

Well thought out and delivered. 'It looks out and in' caught my imagination. If only the window had film to tell its story. At least it has your voice.
I was just starting a story in my head about a man who watches the world through a window. I'll be careful not to step on your work.