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A City Called Home (Written by Mark Borne)

Author's Forenote: This poem is a Poetic Short Story, as I call it; it's a short story, but everything has a poetic meaning. 

On a hill called Interests, a city had been built. It had become my home for a year and some months, providing shelter from the elements that chase me down. But now, after leaving for a mere moment to develop another of my cities, I come back to wreckage. Debris is everywhere, leaving nothing but ash and fallen dreams.
     I stroll towards the center, and stop before the park square called Conversations. It has remained intact, to a degree, but its beauty has faded and it seems to forebode future disasters. I continue my walk until I come across the might tower of Trust, the precise center of the city and what everything around based itself upon. But now, not even a stone seems to remain of Trust, instead having been scattered for me to pick up the pieces.
     A bitter wind begins to bite, and I flee, hoping the bunker called Friendship can provide refuge, but alas, if it is intact, the rubble has buried it from my view, and I cannot find it. I continue to run, dodging pieces of stone that have been burnt to the ground by a flame more powerful than I can imagine, and I stumble across Memory Alley. Dark and twisted, it is now a graveyard, instead for mourning, and not for comfort.
     All the wreckage brings me back to my senses, and I head back to Trust, pushing against the resistance. I pick up a stone and place it gentle where Trust used to be. Maybe I can repair the damage, and then everything will be fine.
     Perhaps it will even be before I fall to the ground, dying in the land I once called Home.

Comments

  1. This is beautiful! I adore the imagery and metaphors used. This is another favorite of Mark Borne's poems. I love the use of raw emotions. Everything about this is amazing!

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    Replies
    1. Out of extreme curiosity, do you think you can interpret this? :)

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    2. Totally guessing, but:
      you've felt at home for the past year, but then something happened and you come back and everything is different. The world you knew was destroyed. Friendships are shaken. Trust broken. You seek refuge in your friends, but they're out of sight. So then, you go back to square one (trust) and try to rebuild those relationships, fearing that it'll never happen.
      Pretty much, you did something, and you're afraid that things'll never be the same.
      Just a guess, though. Close at all?

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    3. Pretty close overall; basically, it's one specific person that I knew for a long time, and then I focused on something else (or someone), but in the process, the city (basically, that friendship) was burnt down. For all I knew, said person was no longer my friend, although I couldn't be certain, and I certainly hoped that, despite the storm I feared as brewing, he/she was. The aspect about trust, however, you aced; I set to work unsure of how long it would take, and whether I'd lose myself in the process

      But your summary is spot on: I did something, and for a bit, I was scared of everything changing. But, it turns out, not much really has changed; I guess I must have been seeing a mirage in the desert, thinking I had lost everything, but in actuality, no visible change is present. Idk, I'll see, maybe things have changed. I certainly hope not

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    4. Don't worry. Whatever was/is going on, you'll figure it out. I'm pretty sure they had no idea anything was happening tbh. :)

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    5. Things might change, they might not, but I have a feeling whoever that person is, they'll stick to your side through it all.

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    6. I really hope he/she does; he/she is one of my closest friends, and I would hate to lose him/her. Some friends just eventually become your brothers/sisters, and a bond like that being broken? It never feels great, to anyone

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    7. Trust me, your fear is perfectly healthy. I'm pretty sure he/she is fearing the exact same thing. XD

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    8. Lol You must know him/her very well

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    9. I only know him/her as well as I know myself. (;

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    10. Wow, I'm shocked XD Well, please tell him/her that I'm sorry if I hurt him/her :P

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  2. This is so cool. I love the connections it makes, and the story it tells, while still providing the imagery of a short story. It's really cool lol
    However, the tower of trust, I predicted the way it would have been in ruins, but that's not necessarily bad, because it was written well. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you :)

      Thankfully, it's more symbolic, because it's a poem :P

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    2. Well, poetic short story. You know lol

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  3. Great poem, though. very relatable!

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  4. Wow, this is so thought provoking. :) I love how you wrote this piece in prose poetry (I was thinking about writing in that form for your Short Story contest, but you beat me to it. )
    Anyway, I love the imagery and how the scene unfolds as well, the symbolism.

    And by the way, I hope everything ends alright with your friend. Something, like that happened to me before. How a good friendship and love just seemed to fade. It happened with my cousins. So, the circumstances may not be the same, however, I know the feeling. And I think one of you has to heal and mend such a close friendship. Either you or the friend has to come up and start talking, come and get to know each other again. At the same time, by what I read in the poem and comments you already tried and I understand that technically if nothing was your fault, you don't need yo be trying to heal anything. When really, they should come and try to stitch the teared fabric. But, if you leave it to them, it'll be like applying salt to a wound. I just know its a two way street, and someone has to do something.

    I just hope it works out, Mark.

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    Replies
    1. Oh lol Sorry XD You can do it, anyways, we have such different writing styles, so it's not like it's gonna feel the same!

      Everything has worked out fine, thanks :) It's kinda hard, though, because I don't get to see this friend very often

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    2. I'm happy its okay.:) I hope you get to the see them soon.

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    3. I will; just not soon enough :P

      I'm too extroverted to only see my friends twice a week -.-

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    4. haha. I would love to see my friends almost everyday. XD

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  5. This is a really great piece, Mark. Very descriptive, and there is a lot of symbolism delineated here with possible changes and how it can affect friendships. The 'cycle', I think, ultimately repeated itself, and then the pieces were left to be picked up. The interpretation you gave made this piece more personal, since something like that happened to me too. Unfortunately, friendships can fade over time, and it's a very sad thing to experience. :(

    This really is a beautiful piece, though. You should definitely write more pieces in prose form; you're really good at it. Anyway, I'm glad things did eventually work out with your friend. :)

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