Photograph

Photograph

 

 

a barn

in a quiet, abandoned field

its skeletal remains

tell stories of tired hands

working plows

milking cows

baling hay

 

and then stopping for lunch

when the triangle rings

the wife calls

 

but they are ghosts aren't they?

that barn's use died in 1953

along with the animals

that inhabited those now perforated walls

 

it's leaning

and I lean backwards

to where I once played

in those remains

skeletal creature that

I now am.

 

 

erin-cilberto

11/4/23

Reviews

[Amanda Reynolds]

You poem is beautiful on so many levels... I especially love the last stanza where you connect yourself to the barn... Thank you, I really enjoyed this.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your kind words, Amanda,
j.

[W. Barrett Munn]

The old barns are still good for something-they have seen much and have interesting tales to tell.

Winston

[jacob erin-cilberto]

They sure do, Winston...they sure do.
j.

[Starbaby]

Photos capture but a slice of time and memory of past glory. We don't ever really notice the changes unless we have something like a photograph to harken back to how it, ( or we ) used to be. Nostalgia runs bittersweet. Nice write!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your kind words, Starbaby,
j.

[Ayvid N]

Time may have claimed it all but the barn has left a lasting impression on my mind. Your words speak of an austere life, hard work and such sincerity and love of the people who lived and worked there. This is a very memorable poem.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I like what you found here, Divya....the poem is based on a photgraph taken by a close friend who is so good at this and finally is turning it into a business.
j.

[Dave]

Barns are so special. The stories they could tell and by looking carefully they do tell. The interior walls of our family room have been done using old barn wood. Gathering the wood from an old dilapidated barn and then installing them myself was quite a treat Thank you for the reminder.
Take care- Dave

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I love cows and I love barns...from my days in NY when we used to visit Vermont for the summers and days in the fall. Just love them and feel sad for this one.
j.

[Dave]

In our family room, we have a gorgeous painting of a grassy field with an old barn. Interestingly the artists name is Painter.
Take care - Dave

[Kim S.]

Wow! Kind of deep really, I can echoes of loneliness and memories that linger,
very nicely written.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your words, basic writer.

[Desert Knave]

Love the comparison of the artist to the dilapidated barn. Great imagery and something all of us can likely identify with. ~ Jim

[jacob erin-cilberto]

the one who inspired this with his photograph is an artist with the camera, Jim,
I can't take much credit for this poem.
j.

[Lorry]

A photograph that will ever be printed on your mind, no matter how it looks today Jacob.
It's a bit like the inner voice we all have that never ages or gets old, no matter how much our shells do. 😊

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, that inner voice...thank you, Lorry,
j.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

A fabulous write Jacob

Govts don’t want us to be self sufficient anymore they want us weak and stupid

They don’t want us to have cattle sheep or grow food all for their stupid left wing agendas
I pine for days of old even the wild brumbies and bees they trying to control numbers of
I say leave nature alone
Let man be self sufficient
And the beurocrats in their offices leave the people be and lower the cost of living which they don’t care about
Oops raved again
The barns and old bridges are a photographers paradise

[jacob erin-cilberto]

raving is good for the soul...thank you, Julie,
j.

[Maximus]

It's a reminder for all of us that if the days past by,they are not coming back. It's a well written poem with deep effective thought.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Maximus,
j.