Poem: The Facade of a House Neglected

From the outside the house stands
Tall and proud with lights gleaming
Out of every perceivable window
Giving the sense of warmth inside
Like any good facade it is an illusion 
A display meant to lure in close
Unsuspecting prey who can’t see
The rotting putrefaction inside
Where tables are set for ghosts
Who will never join the host alone
Among flyspecked walls peeling
With paint that might have once
Been appealing but for years
In disabuse crumbles like the rest
Of furniture gathered optimistically
For guests that will never come
And those that make it to the door
Thrown open in a welcome gesture
Ruin can be seen without entering
They leave before they can explore
The deeper reaches of hidden space
Where something redeeming might be
Found for the intrepid explorer seeking
To rejuvenate the decaying structure

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A voyeuristic poem on the outside looking in from Laura’s writing prompt at dVerse.

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