The Far Room Look for the overgrown apple-blossom archway, paint peeling on rotting wood, an unkempt front yard that once held quiet buds still eager to face tomorrows. Push open the unlocked door, see the owl-faced old man half at ease in his easy chair, the faint din of the television keeping him company as the same smells of leftover lasagna permeate the air once more. Cut through piles of old books, water-stained boxes — relics from a bygone era — then tiptoe down three steps, tightly grasp the banister to keep the walls from swallowing you. Pretend not to notice the curious alabaster eyes of unwilling ghosts who still herald the whimsy of a golden time when the old man's wife with her long brown hair and dancing doe eyes made the space feel tender, cozy and so far from the cluttered, dusty prison it is now. Make your way to that corner you know so well, close your eyes and try to ignore the sudden dried rose scent permeating the room — the favorite perfume of his dead wife. Linger in the stillness of a breath held like a tiny bird before making your way back to the other side.
Empty Tenements We were the mutual acquaintances of the one unable to forget our perilous paths, who chided and chastised us as the unknowing often do. You still reeked of the darkest point of high tide, regret clinging to aching, once-broad shoulders indistinguishable from the still- beckoning phantom with milky eyes blinded to the origins of its own nightmarish existence. Hand in hand, we search the streets, weeping. Elusive redemption lurks around every corner. First posted to Melody Wang's HelloPoetry blog
Liminal Spaces How can a space feel at once gargantuan and smothering, shiny yellow linoleum tiles squared off with lime-crusted grout, decades chasing the unknown, each eager to be more than the ghost that came before? At the far end, a narrow staircase beckons — handrails, untouched
Melody Wang currently resides in sunny Southern California with her dear husband. In her free time, she dabbles in piano composition and also enjoys hiking, baking, and playing with her dogs.