Submitted by Lauren White
Ascending an old staircase
Each turn a mystery to me
She is an elegant, old dame
Aged, worn, but refined
She knows things
Long forgotten by most
What stories could she tell me
Of the memories etched in her steps?
What history is hidden under the dust
That my hand on her banister
Sends dancing into the window light?
She can recall every slip, trip and bruise
She has scars of her own, too
Onesies, wedding dresses and funeral veils
Tap shoes, winter socks or plain bare feet
First climbs and final ones
She knows the gait of the regulars
And the one-timers who never came again
She knows the deep-seated secrets
Left by those who’ve passed through
And when their ghosts come to claim them
Every twist and turn has a past
Of course, she’ll never tell
Her only confidants
The light from the daystar
and the man in the moon
About the Poet
Lauren White resides in Orlando, Florida. She holds two degrees in engineering, which is her current daytime profession. Lauren writes poetry as an outlet for her feelings and emotions. She finds it to be a therapeutic experience and has recently created a blog to share her work. You can find it here.
Painting: Stairway at 48 rue de Lille Paris – Edward Hopper
Vita Brevis Press. 
love this one. reminds me of the saying “If walls could talk.”
Thank you!
Lauren, “Staircase” is such a great example of a poet’s eye view, taking the mundane all the way to art.
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Thank you! Lovely compliment!
This piece is so beautiful
Thank you!
Reblogged this on thoughts, musings, and stuff and commented:
First published poem!!!
You did well Lauren. Congrats, on your first published poem. Isn’t this exciting? I like the way you end your poem, “Her only confidants
The light from the daystar
and the man in the moon”
Thank you so much! It’s very exciting and I’m grateful to Brian for the opportunity. To be honest, the ending is my favorite part too 🙂
Welcome to Vita Brevis Lauren and congratulations on your first publish! I love the imagery in your poem and it brough back sweet memories of staircases in my life. I love your phrase “daystar”, brilliant! I have followed your blog and look forward to reading your poetry.(Note to Brian: Thank you for bringing her here!)
Thank you so much, Walt! I look forward to reading your work as well!
You’re very welcome Lauren!
Oh, how lovely this is to share a story from the viewpoint of a staircase! So very creative. Thank you!