Abandoned Courtyard

Abandoned Courtyard

The veil of silence weighed a ton

As sunset poured from a window's crack.

Flecks of dust dancing in the dusk's light

Bathed the room in a golden glow.

Only slow footfalls can be heard

Wooden boards creaking at every step.

She walks across the silent room,

A wistful expression on her face.

Her temples gray,

Her back hunched.

She touches empty chairs with gnarled hands,

Recalling how lively this room was once.

She can still hear the small bickering,

Fights that always ended in laughter.

Pushing those windows open,

Pulling those curtains apart,

To let the sun and the fresh air in.

Restless footsteps pound the floor

As a tiny voice calls out her name.

That was but decades ago.

The flowers she used to tend have wilted.

The tapestries she hung now threadbare.

But the saddest thing this room had seen,

Are the ones who stepped out, never to return.

This room will never be astir again.

The vibrant colors of her youth

Are now dull and bruised and gray.

All of them have went and gone,

And in this room on her own she stands.

Those days are long past, near forgotten.

But she and this empty room

Both remember the joy that once was here.

Even if someday

The wood will rot,

The glass will break,

And she will turn to dust.

In this very moment,

Her memories are hers,

And forever hers alone.

Words By: Patrisha Cabahug ✒️