LJI 11 Week 22: Spirit House, A Way of Unbecoming

[alycewilson]

This is my entry for Week 22 of LJ Idol (therealljidol), where the topic is "Hiraeth," which is a Welsh word that means homesickness, yearning, and longing, or "a longing to be where your spirit lives."

Comments

[roina_arwen]

It’s cool the way you keep going back through time, and I like the circularity of the voice at the end.

[alycewilson]

Thank you! I liked the idea that maybe it wasn't the photo that was out of focus, but that the location was blurry in that time period, because it had not yet found a solid shape.

[bleodswean]

Oh, A. This is lovely and poignant and just utterly beautifully wrought. *hugs*

[alycewilson]

Thank you. *hugs back* I had that photo open in a table of my browser, knowing I would have to write about it but wondering how. And then it just occurred to me to unwind the time going back to that photograph.

[lyssa027]

I loved this. It's amazing how one place can have so many different memories and stories.

[alycewilson]

Yes! And those are only the ones from my family. We are all happy that, while we had to sell the house, a new family moved in to make their own memories.

[rayaso]

What a wonderful, poignant reminiscence. I loved the way you structured this, going backward in time with your home as the anchor. "It doesn't have a stage" is such a perfect child's view of a house. It sounds like you had a great childhood there.

[alycewilson]

Thanks! Yes, it was overall good. The house had so many odd quirks I didn't mention here, like the attic steps, which didn't follow the slant of the roof, so that you had to bend over and crawl by the end of it. And the brick patio, which my non-handyman dad laid himself, that always had grass and weeds growing up between the cracks. But at the same time, all those odd little things made it more beloved.

And yes, I was very disappointed about the stage. After we moved, I had to sing and dance in the car to have a captive audience. :)

[rayaso]

I would love to have seen one of your car performances, especially a dance.

[alycewilson]

LOL I often got told I had to sit back in my seat. My family did NOT understand the importance of live performance in moving vehicles.

[marlawentmad]

This was a beautifully written walk down nostalgia lane.

[alycewilson]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you think so.