When The House Burns Down

When The House Burns Down

A Poem by Linda Marie Van Tassell
"

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"
Sleep Paralysis Photography by Nicolas Bruno


There were no flowers in her hand,

and that was not the wind trembling.

Tears have no cause to understand

when a child starts disassembling.

Fingers linger upon the skin

in stains of forget-me-not blue.

With skin so pale and body thin,

she gathered her strength and she flew.

 

She chased her dreams and watched them die.

No more a child, she stood alone.

Bright stars came falling from the sky

in a room made of earth and stone.

She travelled once to see the house,

a white ghost in a dusty shroud

whose finer days no hope can rouse.

The heart spills open like a cloud.

 

The past is tossed upon a wave,

uncovered with its twisted roots,

cast like a line from out the grave

with its rotten and bitter fruits.

Shadows portend a storm within.

Lightning strikes on the edge of town.

She is there when the flames begin,

and she smiles when the house burns down.


© 2023 Linda Marie Van Tassell


Author's Note

Linda Marie Van Tassell

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Reviews

I would like to review this poem, but I'm speechless. Too close to the bone. Beautiful.

Posted 1 Year Ago


This reads like an emotional tattoo over a scarred and broken childhood. Who knows what troubling memories the burning house holds? But now, reduced to ash the burning elicits a smile...of relief, of vengeance, of reckoning? It harbors visions of the country song Let Freedom Ring by Martina McBride. An excellent read. I enjoyed.

Posted 1 Year Ago




My word my fine literary friend, you have such a way with what are essentially the tools of a poet .. I am so glad you found me, for now, I feel compelled to follow the ink you will undoubtedly now spill .. N

Posted 1 Year Ago


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M
A house full of bad memories without a doubt, for why else would the burning of a home elicit smiles and glee? There was obviously trauma within those walls and their burning down puts an end to the existence of the trauma and from the ashes rise freedom. Sometimes the physical destruction of something can be the first step to healing. Whatever no longer exists can no longer cause hurt. Painful memories become the only thing that exists thereafter. A well penned poem on pains of the past.

Posted 1 Year Ago


Good morning,
I am so moved reading your poem. Pain is such a terrible thing. Learning to deal with it can be difficult. Hopefully as we get older (and I am older) we can relax more and make better choices. If we have the chance to help others around us we should step forward.
I love your strong image.
I wrote a poem about lost innocence... I think you might enjoy it. The title is called Innocence..
Lisa, now in Spain

Posted 1 Year Ago


I can feel the pain, the shadows of the past( a recurring theme lately) and the need to destroy all that it it held. Burning down the house, returning those memories, those feelings, the fear, the ...Your poetry lives, it moves, it touches...it is heartbreaking to think that...
It's beautiful my friend.

Oh, I'm first on this one.: )

Posted 1 Year Ago


Linda Marie Van Tassell

1 Year Ago

Thank you. I reflect on a lot of things as I get older so I guess it's natural to have the recurrin.. read more

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126 Views
6 Reviews
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Added on April 1, 2023
Last Updated on April 2, 2023
Tags: When The House Burns Down, Linda Marie Van Tassell, Childhood, Abuse, Past, Release, Freedom

Author

Linda Marie Van Tassell
Linda Marie Van Tassell

VA



About
Poetry has been my passion since I was about fifteen years old, and I love the structure of rhyme and meter moreso than just randomly throwing words upon a page without any form whatsoever. Whi.. more..

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