Hour Fifteen – Text Prompt

Write a poem about an experience, but from the perspective of another. For example you could write a poem about your wedding from the experience of your spouse, or you could write a poem about an argument with a stranger from the perspective of the stranger.

Down Memory Lane

It strikes him then, as she pauses at the gate.

It hits him as he watches her hesitate,

This is the first time she has ever gone back.

Back the way in life. His brave lost wife.

He grabs her hand then, aware of her pain.

And propels her forward, down memory lane.

The long winding drive of the house she lived in

Four decades ago.

They walk together, a curious trio,

man, woman and her seventeen-year-old self.

This house stood for everything she had lost.

Childhood. Parents. Gone abruptly.

Solitary Sibling. Feral Squabbles.

Disintegrated Shared Childhood.

And suddenly it was there, in front of him.

The old house, in a state of enchanting disrepair.

He watched as she watched her young self

Run ahead, into the house.

He watched as she tried to follow.

He watched her breathe in and swallow

the Past. Return to the moment.

And reach for the doorbell.