Vacant Possession

Slam!

Off to work, the young couple

leave the wall-to-wall niceness in charge.

Goodbye, for now,

to the essential pictures in the hall,

with its past of other pairings and partings

painted out in exorcising shades.

Goodbye, till this evening,

to the polished smiles of approving guests 

prolonging best wishes in fashionable frames,

and just-unwrapped smells

in the press-button room,

waiting for the evening like the slippers,

fluffy as requested from Auntie Pru,

and another standing-idle day begins.

Slam!

A second one

beats the evening draught down the hall.

The double-glazed silence slinks off to sulk

with the old days in the corner;

rodent reveries scurry away

to claw at filled-in escape holes.

Re-embracing life together,

the young couple strip off

the world-of-work that gets in the way.

.

Author's Note

Empty houses for sale are often described by UK estate agents
as 'Vacant Possession' - here the meaning is different

Reviews

[Eilis]

This made me think of a young couple’s wedding night. The tension and the impatience to be alone. The building toward something they want to belong just to them.

In times past, I imagine the anticipation was much different than it is now with social mores being so different, but for the young, that night can feel monumental and symbolic. And passion favors the young.

I may be completely wrong in my reading, but I do sense some of that ‘go away and leave us alone’ feeling. The impatience to be in a space where no one can intrude any longer.

I like the way the repetition creates a kind of continuum at the beginning. It feels like the action is getting stuck and the satisfaction (whatever it is) being prolonged. I liked the idea of leaving the past behind—or that’s how it felt—in saying goodbye to the pictures. Again the repetition lends something that offers a sense of tension and also uncertainty, but in the end they are able to strip it all away.

Maybe it’s a dinner party or maybe it’s a first night. Or maybe it’s making up after a fight, but I do sense a build and release that is offered in a nice subtle fashion. Hope I haven’t just created my own idea here! Always enjoy delving into your poems, Gerald.

[Gerald Parker]

This poem goes back just over twenty years. I have often thought it doesn't work very well but I keep it going because I can't let go of the Second Slam stanza. It's one of my favourite bits of my own writing. I like to think the poem is about what the title means - vacant possession - words which used to on estate agents' for sale signs if the house was already empty. In this case the 'possession' bit is the fact that the young couple own the house, or rather have a mortgage on it. The house is 'vacant' because the couple go out to work and the house is empty. There was a couple across the road from us who used to slam their door every time they closed it, presumably because it was a tight fit. The poem refers to the history of the house, which, being built about 100 years ago, will have had many owners, all of whom have left their mark. The couple are newly married and, as happens so often these days, everything has been provided before they move in and the house's past has been painted out, new windows will have been fitted, there will be a new front door, etc., not like when we moved into our first house. There is a carelessness about the couple,a lack of respect for their neighbours when they slam their door and make the adjoining house shake. Everything is nice,they have jobs, all the possessions, all the push-button electrical goods. It's all come too easily to them. They are oblivious of the harshness others have put up with - they are 'vacant.' The house, meanwhile, is not happy but, at least, while the couple are out it can have the house to itself! A rather long exposition, Eilis. I wonder if it fits the poem.

[Eilis]

If you’re interested in my opinion I will think about it—I mean if you’d like me to say where I caught your meaning or didn’t in the poem. I see a lot of the things you say in the poem. I just didn’t place the house at the heart as a character. I knew my reading was off, but I confess I struggled to pin the proper perspective down.

[Gerald Parker]

Eilis, thank you for coming back to this. Your comments are very helpful in letting me know if I've got things right. In fifteen or so years I've been posting on poetry sites, I've found it almost impossible to get any helpful feedback. As I suspected, this poem does not have a very good lead-in. I think I should add the words 'the young couple' in line 2 and try to make clear that they are saying goodbye (not literally) to their house as they go off to work.

[Eilis]

I think the changes you’ve made do clarify the idea. I’ve spent a lot of time on critique boards and am happy to provide critical feedback if you ever want. Just say and I’ll try and offer something useful. I know it’s not always easy to get the kind of feedback you’re looking for.

[Gerald Parker]

Your reviews are always useful, Eilis. Your in-depth comments are a pleasure to read and are feedback enough.