"REVISITING THE OLD HOME" There are still traces of the broken walls,
Now overgrown with moss,
The opening where the door once stood -
And an overpowering sense of loss.

But most of all, there's silence,
Not even blackbirds sing,
What happened to the laughter?
In my head, I still hear it ring.

My footsteps on this wild grass place,
Seem to disturb the settled gloom,
As if it was a sacrilege -
And I had trodden on its tomb.

© John Anthony Fingleton (Lost Viking)
Paraguay