ABANDONED
There is
an almost tangible sadness about abandoned buildings. Up here in the mid-Hudson Valley, one sees,
in the midst of healthy farms and vibrant villages, far too many.
There is
the old Bennett College for Women, closed since 1970 and left to the persistent
attacks by nature with no counterattacks by man. Built in the Adirondack style of country
lodges. Rough wood and stone. Rambling, with several porches and
chimneys. Now, a crumbling ghost at the
entrance to the village.
On a road, near a thriving dairy farm, are the remains of another farm. House, barn, stable, silo, hay rick and other out-buildings. Down to bare wood, with some shadowy hints of red and white paint. A rusting tractor with plow attached. Barren fields, mud soaked and weed thick.
An empty
store front, Quality Antiques, missing the Q and the A, the other letters still
faintly visible on the window. A
Victorian house, windows boarded, porch sagging, chimney bricks blown to the
ground, a garden of stubble.
What
happened to the people who once filled these buildings? Was it death, financial
problems, poor health or simply bad luck that caused their departure?
new
spring grassgrowing each day
the dreams of youth
Published,
Contemporary Haibun On-Line, June
2008
Henry, a
Hudson Valley Journal, May 2011
3 comments:
I enjoyed your info and story here - and how the haiku provides contrast, serving as the beginning of the story? We have a number of old abandoned buildings around here too.
Thoughtful and moving, and the ku, in the context created, is a knockout.
Thank you, Bill and Janet. Glad you stopped by.
Adelaide
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