Scarlet Letter

The home that I have been inhabiting for 9 years has been condemned because permits were not filed for any of the renovations--it was formerly outside of city limits but was annexed 5 years ago...

Author's Note

the crimson sheet
glares from my window pane
YOU DON’T BELONG!
it shrieks
this place—my home
for years—nearly nine

thru this front door
home
cool respite in summer]
warm haven in winter
comfy chair
a beverage—hot or cold
as the season requires

HOME!...HOME!...home?
the scarlet letter
screams from the window
NOT HOME!
YOU! DO NOT! BELONG!

authoritatively adhered
enforced by benevolent
tyranny
it is this scarlet mark
this stain of condemnation

where now?
we go from this place
this ‘not home’
this non place
the scarlet letter shines
flares like a beacon
like an angel with flaming sword
driving us from
what used to be paradise
what used to be home…

Reviews

[L.Edward]

Ahhh that's sucks more than I could even imagine. To have a beloved sanctuary screwed with due to bureaucratic bullshit. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your partner. Are you gonna contest it? Surely there's grounds for appeal?

[Mother Maggie]

No there isn't grounds for appeal. I believe it might be for the best because I know the electrical is really messed up and when the original remodels were done on this house, the original landlord cut corners and used really crappy windows. The bad windows and the fact that there is a bare dirt crawl space under the house has promoted the growth of mold within the walls and floors and I believe that the mold spores are the reason that I've been having so many respiritory issues over the last few years. For a new place, I have some very promising leads and as soon as I get settled, I can get back to reviewing all of your wonderful work as well as others work. I don't want to do any reviews while my life is in flux and I'm searching for the new place, because when I review anyones work I want to be in the right place where I can give you my full attention.

Namaste and Blessed Be

[L.Edward]

Understood. Sounds like the odds are stacked against you. Could be a blessing in disguise. Good luck with securing a new house.

[NA]

Interesting read...very thought provoking...brought a few things to mind :)

[Mother Maggie]

This poem came from the circumstances Russ and I are now facing. The property where our home is was annexed into city limits a little over 5 years ago and there are a whole lot of renovations that were done over the years without any permits. The 'Scarlet Letter' I'm refering to is the sticker the city put on our window that declares our home as uninhabitable. I hope I conveyed the sense of limbo, displacement and disjointedness this has created for me.

Namaste and Blessed Be