Tale of the Lost – Window
Window – As I wander through the Rocky Mountains and the forgotten ghost towns and cemeteries of yesteryear, I have taken thousands of photographs. Some I like right away and after a little work I post them on social media and for sale – most I store for viewing later. Every once in a while I will review one and I am like, “How did I miss that one the first go around?”
Others like the one above jump out at me and tell their own story – I view and – I listen to the story. Pull up a log to my campfire and here is the story I heard.
“Window”
She never liked it when her husband gave her the pitch,
About heading to the gold camps out west to make them rich.
Day after day she never left the window out of fear,
Hoping that she would glimpse her love as he got near.
Winter, summer, autumn, and spring all came and went,
He never sent word – she could not fathom what it meant.
Her hours turned into days – then months – then years,
It had become so long her eyes could no longer find the tears.
Sitting silently at the bay window year after year,
Waiting for her husband the one she loved – to reappear.
Feeling their mother’s misery – her children now grown,
Never leaving the window – her mind in a dark abyss – and all alone.
Sitting out the window in time she aged and grew old,
Waiting for her husband – her – their story ending to unfold.
Her home aged and succumbed to the weather and the rust,
At the window, she died and returned to whence she came – the dust.
After she died and years later when the wind is out of the west,
Still sitting – just a shadow of herself still waiting her ghostly quest.
Kurt James
Kurt James © 2017
Where to buy Kurt James novels:
https://www.amazon.com/Kurt-James/e/B01DTOJ7KC/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1505569007&sr=8-1
Kurt James novels available on Amazon in print or download.
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
Nicely told and penned my friend. Enjoyed it. Cheers!
Thanks Tony for stopping and peaking into the window…..
Makes you think of how many times this has happened
Old buildings and cemetery’s have so many tales of sadness – you only have to listen. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Bruce.