Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The Old Barn

click to enlarge

Just down the road…around the bend,
Stands an old empty barn; nearing the end.
It has sheltered no animals for many years;
No dairy cows, no horses, no sheep, no steers.

The neigh of a horse; the low of a cow;
Those sounds have been absent for some time now.
There was a time when the loft was full of hay,
And the resounding laughter of children at play.

At one time the paint was a bold shade of red;
Gradually faded by weather and the sun overhead.
The doors swing in the wind…the hinges are loose;
Windows and siding have taken a lot of abuse.

The fork, rope and pulleys lifted hay to the mow;
A task that always brought sweat to the brow.
But those good days are gone; forever it seems,
And that old barn now stands with sagging beams.

It is now home to pigeons, rats and mice;
The interior is tattered and doesn’t look very nice.
Old, abandoned barns have become a trend,
Just down the road….around the bend.

~Vance Oliphant, c. 1999.

13 comments:

Country Gal said...

Nice pics of the old barn. Wonderfuly writen poem.

Vickie said...

Beautiful post. Lovely poem. I love old barns - they seem kind of sad somehow, missing the families and animals and feeling useful. There's always a story behind those big barn doors.

Thanks...

Jill from Killeny Glen said...

I LOVE old barns...they have such CHARACTER and charm. Your photos are just wonderful. So sad to see ANY of them go.

Mary Lou said...

I love this. I grew up with the See Rock city barns. Love the poem.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

I love old barns, Jo. When George and I take a ride in the country, both of us take pictures of barns.... They are just so special...

Great collage.
Hugs,
Betsy

Deanna said...

Hi there!
Great poem...says alot about the way it can be. When I see old barns and old houses, I sometimes wonder who lived there...how many children, etc. What happened that the place got so old and run down.

Hope you're feeling well and enjoying the start of autumn.

God bless,
d

Maura @ Kisiwa Creek Photography said...

Hello Jo!
Wonderful pictures of old barns and I love the poem. Seeing your post makes me get teary eyed thinking about our old barn. Hubby and I were really looking forward to renovating it. Such is life. I'm so glad there are people out there who take care of these old buildings for future generations...it would be a sad day if they were all left to rot away. Thank you for sharing these photo's with us. I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.

Maura :)

MadSnapper said...

when i was a child we traveled from savannah ga to pineville Ky, 12 hours and all along the way we saw the See rock city signs on barns. it has been many years since I have seen one. I love old barns and even new ones.

Barbara Anne said...

Wonderful poem, wonderful photos!

I'm reminded of this quote:

"I am always humbled
by the ingenuity of the Lord
Who can make a red barn
cast a blue shadow."
- E.B. White

Hugs!

DeniseinVA said...

Lovely Jo, the pictures and the poem. By the way, you made me laugh with your Dixon of Dock Green comment. I'm still checking out back last thing at night. How about you? :) You can take the 'bobby' out of England but you can't take the 'bobby' out of the girl ;)
An English Girl Rambles

mamabug said...

What a lovely blog you have; it's so warm and peaceful looking at all your beautiful photos. I'll be returning to visit as often as I can. It's like a mini vacation being here!

Stella Jones said...

I really liked that poem. Thank you for sharing it with us. I also love the barns in Tennessee (haven't been anywhere else!). There is one particular barn on the way to Gatlinburg. It is right on the edge of the road, right in the mountains and it seems to be leaning over, leaning, leaning. Each time I got there with Larry, it seems to have leaned over a little bit more!
Blessings, Star

maddie said...

Lovely pictures, and a lovely poem. I grew up surrounded by barns of all ages. My dad carved the children's names in the window sill of one of them. I went back and the place had been converted into a house. But the names were still there!