The Dark House: A Poem

Hey warriors! I recently realized I’ve been trying too hard to create helpful posts when this blog isn’t just for writing tips but for my writing! So here’s a poem I wrote. I hope you enjoy it!

---

The Dark House

The sound of beating hooves
Pound across the cobblestones
Cracked and coated in dirt.
From years of heavy burdens

The gate is iron cold,
Squealing dark disapproval.
Angry dogs threaten guests
Til one regrets arrival

Toward the gloomy house,
Up the winding path of stones,
Past the littered garden…
Could those be a human’s bones?

A loud clap of thunder
And dismal drops of cold rain…
The stink of cigar smoke…
Is someone crying from pain?

The door opens slowly:
The light of a fire dying,
A broken chair lies by
A bruised young boy still crying.

The dream is over and
You wake up and think of him
The tired criminal
You thought of as inhuman

His eyes were full of tears
But he never let them flow,
And deep inside he broke
But he never let it show.

Because another man
Had locked the boy deep inside
A prison made of lies
The boy did his best to hide

And as the boy grew up
He did things he knew were wrong
Then bore his punishments
Inwardly weak but so strong

The sin and taunts gather
Weighing on his weary heart
He’s sorry to be this
And longs for a brand new start

How many times have you
Judged this man for his tough face,
Not realizing the boy
Inside him has remained.

If you said you loved him
And gave him just one more chance,
Hugged him when you saw him
And smiled when you just glanced…

Would the old cracks be filled?
Would those cold gates open wide?
Would you find that young boy
Who’s still crying deep inside?

Could you light a fire
Where the flames have long gone cold
And warm every corner
Til heat reaches the threshold?

Could flowers cover up
The dirt and death he feels?
Could some gentle caring
Help a lonely man to heal?

You look in the mirror
And find your child within
Then visit that poor man
And so the healing begins.

---

I hope you enjoyed this poem. What is one way you could love someone today?

Advertisement