It is falling apart piece by piece
Window glass comes undone
and shatters to the ground
to startle a goose into
the pond. I hold my breath.
Shutters hold on crookedly
before finally giving way
to a strong breeze or perhaps
many fell to that once in a century
Appalachian earthquake
Paint peels,slate shingle fall
but she is no worse
for this weathered wear
A mysterious air
Still surrounded her.
Yet the aggressive protection
was all but gone
replaced by a broken
resignation
of defeat
that echoed an almost
audible lament
Without fear, I remove 12 screws
Hinges, and a panel serving as a door
And crawled into the belly of the beast
that has haunted me for all these years
The inside shocked and cries
its own broken heart story
Panel by panel, removed from the pilings
Broken ornaments crushed underfoot
Remnants of 1960's tree stylings
Copper removed by plan or by plunder?
Why all this effort, for these pieces I wonder?
Over a decade of slow decay
And bit by bit removals
A house slowly being buried
By a million little funerals
