Old Houses – Where Have All The People Gone?
Old Houses – I love abandon old houses and their stories that they tell. Growing up in Colorado and having lived in South Dakota and with my family roots in western Kansas I have driven by countless old abandon farm houses and old mining shacks.
The little boy in me always wonders why they were abandoned, why the folks and families left them to wither away in the weather and become dust in the wind.
As a young boy I would make up stories of why the old houses were abandoned, and just like most youngsters all my stories had a positive and happy ending. They had left for a better life and fortune in another part of the world.
As I became older and the reality of life became known to me, I realized these abandon old houses more likely than not had sad endings for those that had lived there. They had become abandoned because of the misery that life sometimes brings. Most of the time it involved the death of the owner due to an illness or simply they died of a broken heart.
When I see one in the distance I always stop and look and listen, sometimes I see a shadowy spectral image in the window that has a broken pane of glass, or I hear the creak of the rotten wooden floors as a broken hearted earthbound phantom walks the floor forever more.
“Old House”
I look at your swayed roof, broken panes, rotting wood,
Countless summer heat, winter blizzards, you have stood.
Memories, all but forgotten of smile, tears, countless “I Love You”,
Laughter, sadness, nights of love, slipped away as time flew.
Why the people you shelter, protected left I will never know,
Better fortunes, death, or the loneliness of the winter snow.
In your dying decay, so goes the memories that you have stored,
From sunrise to sunset, here you sit, all alone and ignored.
By Kurt James
Kurt James © 2016
To read more poetry fro Kurt James follow this link:
https://www.creativeexiles.com/author/kurtjames/
To find Kurt James adventure novels and short stories:
The Denver Post, PM Magazine, and 9NEWS, all well-known Denver, Colorado media sources, have highlighted the powerful and evocative work of poet and novelist Kurt James. Focusing on Old West history, Kurt contributes feature articles to HubPages and Creative Exiles, exploring the eerie silence of ghost towns, the thrilling tales of outlaws and gunfighters, and the evocative imagery found in the Rocky Mountains.
Kurt’s early admiration for writers such as Jack London, Louis L’Amour, and Max Brand played a significant role in honing his skills as a storyteller. Twenty-one books (and counting!) transport readers to the Colorado Rockies and the Old West through Kurt’s vivid descriptions; the feel of rough-hewn cabins, the sounds of coyotes howling under starry skies, and the smells of campfire smoke and sagebrush are all palpable.
Find Kurt James novels, short stories, reference books, and poetry—published by Midnight Wind Publishing—in print copies or digital downloads at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and other excellent bookstores; explore the diverse range of formats available.
Currently in production - The 10th book in his Rocky Mountain Series - Lee Moomaw Former Lawman.
Kurt is a proud member of the Western Writers of America, a group that values storytelling.
- Riding the Timberline - May 26, 2025
- Digging up Dreams - September 16, 2024
- As the Years Roll By - November 15, 2023
My heart goes out to all abandoned houses I have seen in my life. Like you, Kurt, I wonder what stories they have to tell to those who will listen. I love to explore houses like that and often leave feeling quite sad, wishing I could buy the house and restore some happiness to it. You have penned a nostalgic memoir and poem, and very nicely, too. Well done.
Thank you Phyllis, as you know there is nothing I love more than an old house, mining town, or ghost story… thank you for your kind words.
Old abandoned houses always seem to evoke a feeling of sadness and melancholy, Kurt. I ponder what has occurred within their walls over the many years they were inhabited, and ultimately what caused their abandonment. I enjoyed your commentary and poem.
Thank you John, I always look forward to your comments and insight.
Nicely penned Kurt. Each wall not just the house, but each wall in these abandoned homes holds its own story. Mostly fond memories in the walls but the overall outcome is usually sad as to why these homes are abandoned. Good piece.~Paul
Agree Paul, if the walls could speak – sounds like another poem, story or song in the offering.
Great Job Kurt , I feel the same in fact , I have been known to visit the past hauntings of humanity more than the present day . An abandon house , farm , a cemetery of graves older than anyone alive , Yes , they are very haunting in good and in bad ways for us ? Recently I have been rather enthralled by my family genealogy . My history parallels America’s very beginnings and I have actually become somewhat engrossed.
You are a great writer , keep it up !
Wow, EdF if that comment does not inspire me – nothing will…thanks…