Reflections Of Childhood

[DATo]

A Child's View Through A Window

by

DATo

Long ago seated in solitude
At our kitchen table
I viewed a landscape on a wall
A landscape painted in the harsh hues of reality
Textured with the smoothness of glass
Framed in pretentious curtains enblazoned with embroidered flowers
And I paused awhile reflecting in its reflection

The painting portrayed the tenement across the yard
A communal yard of concrete where concrete games were played
A tenement coupled to mine by clothesline lanyards
Like mighty men o' war,
Armada-like,
Sailing sailing sailing
To unknown fates upon unfathomable depths

Upon a lanyard a sole sparrow rested
Feathers puffed against the winter blast
As sooty evening descended in grays and purples
There was no other life save he and I
In brotherhood we shared the aloneness of the moment
No sound disrupted the music of our silence

The tenements have sailed - they are no more
The bird has flown to where all birds fly
And I am landed on distant shores
But a landscape remains
In the museum of time.

/

[Delta40]

Very interesting. I am a little confused about the time factor though. You're reflecting on a landscape and I got the impression tenements had replaced this or it was simply a different place in your life. But then I also got the impression the tenements were no longer there or they were but you had got lost in the reverie of your reflection. Either way. I rather enjoyed the puzzle!

[DATo]

Thank you for your reply Big D!

It is the story of a man (or woman) reminiscing about his/her childhood from his/her perspective as an adult.

He recalls a moment in his long ago when he sat alone in a kitchen as a child. It is winter and evening is falling. He looks out the window which serves as a metaphor for a landscape painting. He sees his reflection in it against the backdrop view of a tenement building, much like his own, across the expanse of a concrete yard. "...where concrete games were played". (Games invented by children who couldn't afford toys.) The tenements are compared to mighty sailing warships connected by rope lines. (The lines are actually the ropes strung between the tenements on pulleys which women would use to hang their linens after washing.) But in his mind they are huge ships sailing off into the unknown (representing his future). He sees himself reflected in the glass along with the imagined ships sailing off with them. His only companion is a bird who sits on one of the clotheslines fluffing out its feathers to provide insulation against the cold wind. The bird is a metaphor for the boy. They share similar, unknown fates. The boy finds a sense of kinship and sympathy with the bird.

The boy now speaks from his perspective as a man stating that the tenements have been razed (torn down), and the bird has "flown to where all birds fly", and his journey has landed him on "distant shores" (to a life which could never have been predicted when he was a child staring out that window). But the memory of the event is forever fixed in his mind.

[user name]

How long ago did you write this?

[MajorLordRoxbro]

I made it here too DATo, Readers has become a bullying, ignorant mess.

[DATo]

ROXY AND USER !!!! So good to see you guys again! Now if we could only get Dva to join us we'd be The Four Musketeers once more *LOL* I had a nice talk with Emily over at BR Forum to explain things and gave up my moderator status. I told her that I thought she and Rod were doing a good job with the site but I was more interested in discussing books than dealing with all the drama.

User - I wrote it some time ago but have done some polishing from time to time. I just posted it to sort of break the ice here while waiting to join the discussions. I've been coming to this site for ages to read their exceptionally fine database of literature but only now became a forum member. I don't know what took me so long.

Roxy - perhaps we could reprise the Shrier thread of Rise & Fall. BY the way, you look really great in your uniform major !

[MajorLordRoxbro]

We are going to be in this 'and' Soldaten. We have posted your poem on there and created an i.d. for you.
Just let us know when you wish to take it over and I will give you the password.
Both Silas and I are going to post our chain writing and Dva is digging her heals in and saying she will join on here when you join Soldaten. The chains are only visible to members as we thought that would be better and more modest ha ha ha.
I really hope you are still willing to be in the chain, as my team are your team's competitiors,
regards,

[MajorLordRoxbro]

p.s. We are going to post your 3rdR thread on Soldaten too.
Yuri has moved it across with all your insights in tact and all credited to you of course.

[MajorLordRoxbro]

Just to let you know member has now put a character in his effort called Professor Dato.
Once you have read it you would be able to tell him if it is an accurate depiction?


I also need to know your favourite, books, albums, bands, films, tv shows, to make your profile complete.
Do you save anything too?