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SILO

A slow cool midday trek
speed determined by old legs
through a forest of mixed trees
tall but hardly hoary

No hint of habitation anywhere
no crumbling chimney
abandoned well
teetering walls
or sagging fences

Until topping a small rise
where I espy with aging eyes
a sight that takes me by surprise

A silo

not a sterile Harvestore
of cold blue steel and nothing more
nor of concrete blocks banded
nor poured in place cement

This one aged and empty
built of varied native stone
to a scale that's human
not looming

Kicking nearby duff reveals
a buried barn foundation
its wood gone back to soil
just old concrete and a few rusted nails
of forged form

I pause to think
and the surrounding landscape transforms
trees disappear in reversed growth
fence posts appear and slowly straighten
at last gaining old type barbed wire
which rapidly unrusts
dividing small past lush pastures
where Holstein ghosts graze
until.......
I now stand in midst of a dairy
modest house on the next hill
horses and mules, no tractors

But imagination stops
farmer's family left un-recalled
'twould lead to unwanted questions
Where? did they go
What? happened here
Who? is left of the family tree
Why? did they leave

This is far too lovely a day
for such questions to be queried
So
wanting to retain sunny disposition
and to leave my mind unmuddled
I move on
to keep from thinking

Yet on certain types of days
clear ones when cool winds sway
I return there in my mind
and wonder about that old
silo

* realized it was time for another attempt at free verse................scribbler

Style / type: 
Free verse
Review Request (Intensity): 
I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Review Request (Direction): 
What did you think of my title?
How was my language use?
What did you think of the rhythm or pattern or pacing?
How does this theme appeal to you?
How was the beginning/ending of the poem?
Editing stage: 

Comments

Stan, all I can say is HOW LOVELY THIS PIECE IS! I don't see any stumbling in this essay at free verse. Great.
Regards
Ayaz

I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you. I appreciate the visit and kind comment.......................stan

author comment

I'm experimenting all the time. thankfully most of them don't make it to here lol...................stan

author comment

I had wondered how many would even know what a silo is lol. Thank you for the read and nice comment.................stan

author comment

this was beautifully done, and well staged. great job my friend.
i love the descriptions in this so wide and filling the imagination
stanza; 4
"not a sterile Harvestore
of cold blue steel and nothing more
nor of concrete blocks banded
nor poured in place cement"

loved it!
Eddie

LIFE ISN'T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS
IT'S ABOUT LEARNING HOW TO DANCE IN THE RAIN.
VIVIAN GREENE

good to see you back. Glad you like my attempt at free verse............stan

author comment

I might if I can say, use 'crumbled chimney' in L6 as it's followed by abandoned...this is good narrative and holds interest all the way to the end. The thing with free verse, even narrative like this is to beware of the filler words and pronouns and adjectives, we talk with a lot of them but in the showing of a poem's story they are not necessary, I always comb mine for where I can leave out some..it's editing and painfully slow but worth it :P

Chez
"The perfect woman perpetrates literature as she does a small sin: as an experiment, in passing, to see if anybody notices it - and to makes sure that somebody does." - Nietzsche

I am always going back and editing stuff (as evidenced by this write). First you say I should add an adjective for chimney, then tell me to beware them lol.I fear even in my semi-rare free verse writes I tend to emphasize imagery by using them a lot. Will keep your ideas in mind when I eventually go back and edit this......again..............scribbler PS used crumbling instead of crumbled to convey a process still underway

author comment
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