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Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, now living in Cheshire, England. I started to write poetry some years ago, as a hobby. I have enjoyed that new venture very much. My preferences are for long and micro-form poetry styles. A first book of poetry ~ Reason Without Rhyme, was published in December 2013. A second book ~ Fifty Seven Pebbles, was published in September 2015...I am presently compiling the content for my third book. Thank you for visiting my Blog... COPYRIGHT: The entire copyright and content of this Blog belongs to the author Eileen T O'Neill. Nothing should be copied, reproduced or hosted as per RSS feed by any other party. {This particularly applies to the USA company Feedspot.com}

Wednesday, 14 April 2021

Revisit

Returned to where I had once belonged

The landscape seemed very different

An emptiness was all I could sense

I tried to recall things as they had been

Time had stolen many details from me

I relied upon fragments of old memories

Gone was the immediate familial welcome

No warmth of hugs and overflowing smiles

There was only the sound of an eternal silence

The old house had gradually lost its heart

One by one, generations had moved away

This homestead no longer sang nor chattered

The hearthside was stone cold and deserted

Out-buildings held trappings from yesteryear

Undisturbed webs glistened in the sunlight

I moved onwards taking away that view…

 

Eileen T O’Neill 14th April 2021

 

 

  

 

 




8 comments:

  1. Lovely to read you, Eileen. I feel the same way - after so many golden years where our community was thriving, online feels very different now. However, the words still come, thank heaven, and the friendships and connections are still there. What a gift those years were for me, and for so many of us. My poetry thrived and re-energized because of them. The pace is slower now, but nothing will dim those golden years when we were all at the top of our game. Stay safe!

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  2. The scene is suspended in those memories. I felt it.

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  3. Wow, sometimes you really can't go back to where one had once 'lived.' If the 'familial welcome' is not there, it really is NOT the same. I know....and have not been back. It is no longer 'home.' Glad to see your poem, Eileen!

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  4. Things certainly have changed my friend. Your beautiful words have captured the feel of it very well. I miss you my poet friend!

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  5. I am sure, the next phase will be even happier, Eillen. Hood Luck.

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  6. After my mother passed in 2007 I returned to the house my sisters and I were raised in ... what you have shared is what I experienced ... but could not have expressed as poignantly, beautifully. Thank you.

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  7. I so resonate with this, Eileen. My sister and I always drive around to all the old houses we lived in as children. So much has changed, yet some of them survive, while the town around them grew into a bustling city. The apple orchards all are covered with condos now. Sigh. But the memories remain.

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  8. My comment seems to have disappeared. This poem reminds me of every time my sister and I go back to Kelowna, where we grew up. We always drive around to all the places we lived, the ones that remain. The sleepy little orchard town we lived in then is now a bustling city, with condos stretching for miles where there once were apple orchards...........this poem resonates with me......things change - but in memory, that time remains forever golden.

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I appreciate visits to this Blog and any comments left. I shall always endeavour to reciprocate. Thank you, Eileen