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The Old Shed - poem


Poems by yours truly
- Flowers and Rainbows - a poem about the frilly thing...
When is thelast time you stopped to enjoy something, or painted a rainbow? This poem examines the balance between the serious and the simple pleasures in life. - The Cats Will Play - a poem
One big and strong One small and brave This is how The felines play - Wounded - a poem
Caught off guard while dwelling in comfort Basking in the warmth of a glowing sun Lost in feelings of safety, serenity - Uncommon Beauty - haiku
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is beauty anyway?
Old shed sits in an overgrown field
Dilapidated collection of beams and boards
Once sturdy now darkening with decay
What was its purpose in its days of utility
Something was kept safe behind those doors
Now barely hanging by one last rusty hinge
Rain, wind, and sun were kept at bay
By roof and walls sealed strong and tight
Now slivers of sun shine through gaps and holes
Does it matter what it was back then
Purpose has been served and time goes on
Farm’s been sold and farmer and family gone
What could that old shed matter now
Abandoned by one, neglected by next
Left to crumble at its own slow pace
It matters enough to that passerby
Who saw beauty in those beaten boards
And snapped a photo from the passenger window
It matters to the tabby cat
Seeking shelter from the elements
As she nurses her hungry litter
And feasts on mice nesting in debris
Venturing out to hunt insects and fungus
Hiding and growing in crevices dark and moist
Vines climb and grasp the weathered wood
Shoddy shed now dressed in flowers white
Soon to give way to berries dark and sweet
Old solitary shed matters to the tiny birds
Perching on an increasingly precarious roof
Nibbling berries and posing for roadside photos
Old shed in an overgrown field sure matters
To cats and mice, berried vines and birds
And budding photographer with an eager eye
When simple shed has crumbled and fallen
And all that remains a patch of soil
Rich from decomposition of what once was
Flowers will grow and bloom with colors bright
Glorious attraction for butterflies and bees
Catching the eye and lens of the next passerby
An old shed sits in an overgrown field
Matters not to owners past or present
Yet matters the world to so many more
Comments
I loved how much you got out of one image of the shed. Such emotions from it! I enjoyed the journey and the poem very much!
The central imagery in this poem stand for loneliness, pain and suffering. I liked how you use interesting metaphors.
It is a great tribute to things old but useful, with a beauty over time within the eye of the beholder. So many stories can be told from such a view as an old shed. Great write! : ) Awesome and up in votes.
A wonderful poem Dana and thank you for sharing this gem.
Eddy.
Very engaging . Voted up and away.
Lovely poem, Dana. You have captured the ambiance and the essence of an old shed that is ready to crumble, yet now has a useful purpose to nature. Once new and useful to humans, it now is a haven to critters and one day will return to the earth, to provide ever more useful gifts.
Well done! Voted up and beyond.
Beautiful, beautiful awesome poem. Voted way up.
Excellent poem Dana! Really enjoyed the read.
Have seen many of these along the way, and wanted to take a photo too.
Voted up ++++ and sharing
God bless, Faith Reaper
I'll never look at an old shed the same way again! :)
Voted up. Great poetry. There is a certain mystery and wonder to things like old sheds and your poetry brought so much interesting imagery of cats and birds and nature. Enjoyed and passing this on.
We had an old shed similar to this in our backyard when I was a child. IT brings back many good memories. Enjoyed your poem.
Absolutely beautiful Dana. Your story showed through, all the people who had been there, the cat and so on, wonderful piece of writing, sharing and voted! nell
Just beautiful Dana. You have the ability to lift a mundane thing from obscurity to great worth again.
Such a true poem. All the things that an old shed does for so many creatures as well as providing oodles of character for a photo. If old shed could talk! Imagine all they have seen and how they would thank you for caring for them again.
Bob
Beautifully descriptive piece--and so evocative--
What an incredible poem, it sounds like that shed needed its story to be told. Thank you for sharing! Jamie
Dana, this is wonderful, so evocative. I can see that old shed, I can see the overgrown ground, the brambles and vines. I can smell the damp air inside and see the straw gathered in corners by chilly little rodents - great poem.
When I take photos, even bad ones, I try to seesome kind of beauty in it. I will spend eons looking for sure! When I read your line, " saw beauty in those beaten boards", I thought of how much beauty you have inside to share to the word through such beautiful words. This was bu-ti-ful :)
Dana, you explain the surroundings so well I feel I am there too! A beautiful description xx
What a beautiful depiction of an old decaying shed in the field. We have seen many of them as well as abandoned out buildings on our many trips across parts of America. Knowing that this was also intertwined with thoughts of your brother who snapped a picture out of a car window of just such a shed made this all the sweeter. May he rest in peace and may you always have sweet memories of him. Up and beautiful votes.
Wow that shed looks familiar.. How did you know? lol I love the poem.. it does matter that old shed.. has a history and now the rats and snakes and bugs are enjoying it.. wonderful my friend.. thank you for enlighten my day
Debbie
Very pretty, I photograph these too, knowing there is something luring about them and you have given that new meaning.
GREAT! Excellent observation! Voting up and sharing! Keep up the good work!
What a wonderful visual piece of art you've presented here dear poet. You have taken your poetic brush and from you palette of many colors you painted us your readers the stages of age of this old shed. I felt the history behind your imagery. Simply brilliant work, thank you for sharing it here, voted up and shared my fine poet.
This poem is filled with truth yeilded from a powerfully creative and talented poetic mind. I sense you can feel the decaying of things in your mind, and also the beauty of this life and all that it entails as you sense the scenery around you Dana.
This isn't an easy thing to do to accurately detail the tapestry the nature, and the time change and period of things in its passing away and uprooting growth rates.
Wow! is all I could think about when I keep on reading each lovely well crafted line and poetic verse after verse.
You definitely have a powerful understanding of the usage of words, and their connection to physical things in the environment you've just wrote about (Simply amazing!), and this tells a lot about how educated of a person you truly are, besides the deep inward feelings you have for your love connection to that of the outside world.
Compelling poem, you have blown me completely away! Whoa!! thumbs up super high and sharing this one everywhere I can.
How many of us have looked at old sheds and had similar thoughts...but none of us the talent to write so beautifully about it!
Voted up and awesome.
Enchanting. You painted a very romantic picture. Thank you
Hi Dana, lovely poem, exploring the inside and outside of the old shed. Your words give us another picture, in addition to the one on your Hub.
Yes, we should definitely not take things for granted even as we move on. Thanks for sharing, Dana, and I am passing this lovely poem on.
I stopped to read this poem the moment I saw the picture of the old shed. That's MY grampa's old shed. Okay, it's not, but it very well could have been! And your words were so right, precisely describing and old farmer's shed that no longer had a purpose. My brother and I tried to make it ours, as children, a kind of clubhouse on the top of a mountain bordering a clearing, but it was too far for everyday use. I think the critters were happier for that. I'm glad you have these memories of your brother, and thank your for reminding me of some I have with mine.
I have often photographed an old shed or barn because I loved its weathered look, but you've captured so much more than the image with your poetry, you've captured it's essence. This is a very beautiful poem, Dana, and I love it!
Dana!!! This is absolutely wonderful...the beautiful connections to all the multitude of lifeforms supported by a weathered but picturesque old shed...this is brilliant....Sharing for sure, Voted Up, Awesome, Beautiful, and interesting...there should be more buttons like one for 'freakin' amazing. What empathy and sensitivity...I'd love to think someday I could do something half as lovely as this....
That was really beautiful, Dana! It takes a great eye to see so much in an old weathered building. Great job!
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