deepundergroundpoetry.com
Sylvie Bannister And Orchard House
Orchard House caught fire twice and lots of people died.
I know because I was there.
I saw the foggy smoke gathering on the landing just before Orchard House tumbled down.
I got out somehow, but I don’t remember anything else.
I sat on a bench near a rock garden, listening to seagulls in the distance, plaintive and minute.
The air tasted of salt and sand and the freshness of approaching autumn,
The tide was out, leaving a carpet of sand.
The sea appeared calm, all ripples of blue and grey and green.
Further along a line of cliffs stretched eastwards, overlooking a drop by the sea.
That’s where Sylvie Bannister lived.
In a cottage on one of the cliffs.
But I didn’t know anything about Sylvie Bannister then.
Or that her family had once owned Orchard House.
I know because I was there.
I saw the foggy smoke gathering on the landing just before Orchard House tumbled down.
I got out somehow, but I don’t remember anything else.
I sat on a bench near a rock garden, listening to seagulls in the distance, plaintive and minute.
The air tasted of salt and sand and the freshness of approaching autumn,
The tide was out, leaving a carpet of sand.
The sea appeared calm, all ripples of blue and grey and green.
Further along a line of cliffs stretched eastwards, overlooking a drop by the sea.
That’s where Sylvie Bannister lived.
In a cottage on one of the cliffs.
But I didn’t know anything about Sylvie Bannister then.
Or that her family had once owned Orchard House.
Published 28th Jul 2020
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28th Jul 2020 4:02pm
This is full of depth mystery from the beginning to end making one have so many unanswered questions nicely composed brother...respect I love a good story that makes you think subconsciously 🤗
28th Jul 2020 8:55pm
28th Jul 2020 9:06pm
Yes I am just taking it one day at a time hoping you the same for you brother poet 🙏
28th Jul 2020 9:52pm
29th Jul 2020 11:43pm
17th Aug 2020 11:29pm
Very good. Love the sensory details. I can hear the plaintive cries of the seagulls, taste the salty freshness of the air. And the neat beginning and ending with "Orchard House" closing the loop – reads like a perfect opening for a longer piece
18th Aug 2020 8:47pm
