The breeze softly rustled the fallen leaves
as the gate swung soundlessly, granting me entry
The place was strangely alive yet empty.
Every step I took brought me closer
to the sounds whispering in my ear;
the laughter of children mingled with cries of agony
and a thousand tales gushed forth
from the recesses in the broken walls
Voices called out from behind the weathered screen
where once sat the women of the house
gazing surreptitiously at a harried world passing by
while time stayed still in their world.
The smoke from their hookah transformed into webs
that gently reminded me of stories long forgotten
yet preserved in the cobwebs of my mind.
