The Fire at Heywood House

a sequence of shadormas

This sequence of shadormas is based on the garden at Heywood near the village of Ballinakill in Ireland. The grand house, built in 1773, burned down on January 31, 1950, the feast of educator St John Bosco (whose motto was "Reason, Religion, Kindness"), while it was being operated by the Salesian Order as a school for boys. The original garden, which stretched from the house to the village, was remodeled in 1906 by the famous garden duo of architect Edward Luytens and plant woman Gertrude Jekyll. While searching the internet for information about the garden and the fire, I came across a Manchester Evening News article, dated October 11, 2011, about another Heywood House fire, this one a ten room mansion in England with pet victims and the successful resuscitation of a boy of four. I decided to incorporate it into my poem. The village of Ballinakill, it turns out, features a monument to those who lost their lives in the Irish rebellion of 1798 against British rule. Although it was a nonsectarian affair, it seems to me to have been the beginning of what would later be called "the troubles" that continued in Northern Ireland until recently (and could reignite at any time, I suppose).

Tears are shed.

I grieve for the house;

the garden

grieves with me.

Onto the dormitory beds

burning rafters crashed.

One hour

later and our grief

would have been

horror news,

the undamaged garden a

schoolboys memorial.

January,

feast of John Bosco,

firemen

battle flames.

Reason, Religion, Kindness

freeze like icicles.

Burnt rubble,

the garden unscathed:

stone staircase,

pavilion,

a place of quiet beauty

with reflective pool.

Breathtaking

delight for the eye,

Jekyll's style

not hidden.

Sunken garden replanted,

repose for the mind.

Pleached and plashed

pollarded lime tree

avenue:

aged white trunks,

limestone steps, pillars, and path

dripping wisteria.

In England,

smoke inhalation,

boy of four,

ambulance.

The Manchester Evening News:

another Heywood.

Murderer!

Killed in Heywood House:

one puppy,

one budgie,

two dogs, one cat--a boy's friends

ashes of arson.

Ireland east.

Back to the garden:

moorhens and

kingfishers;

most exquisite romantic

landscape of the time.

Surrounding

there's a high stone wall,

moon windows.

On tiptoe

I see two Irish church spires:

Catholic, Protestant.

Tears are shed.

I grieve for troubles;

the garden

grieves with me

from where the house used to be

to Ballinakill.

Author's Note

Originally written without punctuation. Does the punctuation help or hinder?

Reviews

[Richard🖌]

Roland,
"Proper" punctuation always helps guide the reader through an author's nuances, meanings, pauses, inflections, moods, excitements, etc; and adds that finished touch so many (more lazy and inconsiderate) poets do not care enough to undertake for the (if nothing else) pride in their own work, and having said that, there is the rare composition i have left bare (if you will).
A finely struck piece, My Friend … well researched, introduced, and presented … I thank you most gratefully for sharing your excellent craft! ⁓ Richard

(a 1000/100, if I could)

[Roland Petrov]

Given your take on shadormas, this really means a lot! Thanks, Richard; I'm so glad I met you and Mattavelli here. True inspirations.

[Suzy Hazelwood]

I always love poetry or stories about large old houses, it's always been of interest to me, possibly because I briefly lived in a manor house for just under a year when I was a child. It wasn't ours, my parents were employed as housekeeper and chauffeur/gardener. It was a magical experience, but also a little creepy sometimes. That was in 1970's England, so no fear of houses being burned to the ground - at least not in revenge or political troubles anyway!

Interesting that you found two houses with the same name in different places. I've just been looking the Irish one up in a search to see what it looked like - quite impressive. Must have been horrific to see that go up in smoke. I'm amazed they were able to save any houses at all considering their serious limitations in putting fire out in those days. There's a little lane that leads to the old fire station in the city where I live it's called 'Labour In Vain Yard' I think that says it all really! ;o)

I love the idea of the garden grieving with the person, gardens have great personality and with all the plants, living things, who knows what plants feel? Only a plant can know! I think you can read this as one poem of different thoughts on the same subject or lots of separate poems - maybe from different people's perspective.

It's hard to say if punctuation helps or not, I think it would read as well without it, but with it, it certainly doesn't spoil it. I have seen poems where I feel punctuation totally destroys the flow of the poetry maybe because it's used badly, which is why I choose not to use it most of the time in poetry, but on a few poems I have used punctuation, it's because without it, it just doesn't read right. I prefer to use punctuation in short stories, and keep it simple, or otherwise it can feel like punctuation is taking over what has been said. Also, I like the idea the reader can read it in the way it suits their own mind, punctuation makes it fixed - and we all think differently.

On the subject of manor houses burning down, that's exactly what happened to my Irish great grandparents house in southern Ireland. My Dad only remembered the house being talked about, but his own Father lived in grand style as a young boy. Must have been hard for anyone in those circumstances to come down to a poor person lifestyle, if they were left with nothing as a result of the fire, which is what happened to my Dad's Fathers family. I think the fire was revenge, for the family history possibly being more Scottish than Irish and successful wool merchants. Troubled times indeed. :o( My brother is still researching family history and found the burnt remains of the house has recently been bought again by a family with the same surname name, although I doubt they are closely related to our family. I wonder if the garden is happy now?!! :o)

[Blossom]

The punctuation helps because if these were, say, Haiku (fewer lines to deal with), one could make out without the poet's assistance or could infer two meanings at the most.
I've only read five and had no idea what Ballinakill was, but 'tears are shed' here and someone other than the garden grieves with you!
I have to say, I've been morose since morning, but this beautiful composition also triggered a tear or two.
I'll complete the beautiful sequence and let you know my favourite parts.
But, great work, Roland!

[Roses]

I think the punctuation helps personally, otherwise some parts may have been difficult to read. I like the short lines in this and the picture it paints of the garden. Took me a couple of attempts to say 'Ballinakill' though, haha.

[Roland Petrov]

Thanks, Roses! These are shadormas, a Spanish style of six lines with a 3-5-3-3-7-5 syllable count. I was introduced to shadorma by Iain the Pict; remember him?