Weighted with ivy,
tessellated with lichen
and moss, the roof
has splintered and caved in.
Perhaps something has settled
among the long-forgotten
tools and pots – now homes
for mice and spiders.
Our sentinel by the rickety gate
sheds flakes of peeling paint.
The padlock key is long gone
and its treasures remain hidden.
Kim M. Russell, 24th January 2019
A second poem for dVerse Poets Pub Poetics: Shed/Open Link Night
This time I’m taking the prompt literally!
writing in north norfolk 
There is something so proud of a house or a shed that’s forgotten…
the treasures it hides and how it’s just dying in peace.
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As and when we move, we’ll have to take a look inside.
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As a poet and photographer, I’ve explored many abandoned structures; spiders, rats, mice and snakes have been my only treasure. I prefer your shed.
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Thanks Glenn! The other one is even more tumbledown – it has plants trying to break out of it. 🙂
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Fantastic pic – poem match. Wonderful. Loved this: tessellated with lichen. And lichen is such an amazing evolutionarily complex symbiotic community.
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Thank you, Sabio.
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Amazing picture and yes, all the memories of a shed including being afraid of spiders that’s my biggest fear. Nevertheless, I love this poem. 🙂
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Thank you, Charlie. I haven’t been inside that shed in years. 🙂
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You’re welcome, Kim. 🙂
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‘tessellated with lichen and moss,’ has such an elegant ring to it and I learned a new word! 😍😍 Now to step inside the shed with you 🙂 Lovely write! 💜
PS: Looking forward to your prompt on Saturday! 😘🌹
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Thank you, Sanaa! I haven’t finished the poem for my own prompt yet, I’m so behind with reading and commenting on everything else! 🙂
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Literal works, too! Now you’ve created a mystery with a missing key.
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Thank you, V.J. I’m determined to get that door open in the summer.
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I love a mysterious shed. Ours, unfortunately, is very tidy and organised. 😀
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That one was originally a boat shed but we sold the old rowing boat and oars. We have two more: one is more of a ruin than this one – it has plants trying to break out of it – and the other was an artist’s studio but is now full of junk. The more I tried to keep it tidy, the worse it got. I’ve had to take my bike out, otherwise it’ll disappear!
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This may be forgotten, but to some, it is a home or even a treasure box.
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There definitely something in there. 🙂
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Love the tumble down shed. The photo just makes it all perfectly clear!
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Thanks Dwight! I sometimes wonder if our cat Luna spends the night in there.
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She probably does! A place out of the wind!
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mysterious and beautiful as such
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Thank you, Jade.
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You are welcome.
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I have always found the contents of old sheds to be fascinating 🙂 Kim I loved your description of this shed right down to the lichen on the roof 💕
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Thank you, Christine. 🙂
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I would never be able to let that door stay closed!
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I did once try to break the padlock – it’s strong! 😉
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I read this as a gentle and mysterious personification, I relate to the shed as I age, and as I change, as the excrudescence and beauties of the world overtake and change me, and the secrets we keep, the key lost, will the door be opened, or broken down, or will we let it lie for some other keeper to uncover? This is vivid, gentle, troubling, and sweet all the same time.
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Thank our for reading so closely and for your perceptive comments, Lona.
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Something intriguing about old sheds…fun to photograph and to peek inside!
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As soon as I can get that door open, I’ll take some photos of the inside.
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That shed with its lost key is like a time capsule except for the animals living there.
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I’ll get it open one day, Frank.
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Oh, what wonderful mysteries might be concealed behind that door. Such fun to contemplate and speculate Kim. This was a most engaging write. I really liked it – rich with imagery and wonder!
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Thank you kindly, Rob!
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It makes me curious about what’s inside!
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Me too!
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The loss of the key, treasures remain hidden….it happens.
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I like the way the weight of the words settles down along with the shed. It really paints a picture. (K)
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Thank you.
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Beautifully written and so like Mary Oliver with the detail. Forgotten and abandoned and hiding secrets are a perfect poetic subject.
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Thank you so much!
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