The Old Pink Restaurant

On By Lauren Scott, AuthorIn Poetry
Photo by Maria Tyutina on Pexels.com

I feel old and withered
like a dying rock rose.
Cracks propagate
down my stucco exterior
like fault lines in the earth.
Does an outburst lie on the horizon?

I remember when vibrant pink,
like a fuchsia feather boa,
would invite strangers in –
strangers who became friends.

My mood has a mind of its own.
When the sky opens,
tears stream down my windows,
tattooing me with streaks of dirt.

I’ve been abandoned for years –
no one seems to want me.
My door – faded and rotted,
hanging like a dead tree branch,
wouldn’t welcome a rat.
Do you know what it feels like
to be all alone? To feel worthless?

There was a time
when chatter and laughter
filled me to the brim,
bounced off the walls
into Margarita merry,
chips and salsa celebrations.

Now, I sit on the corner
like a human without a home.

My sign reads:

Will I ever feel alive again?
Will I ever feel life again?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We drove by an old restaurant that we miss where the building has remained vacant.
So, I became inspired to write a personification poem.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I wish you a wonderful Wednesday. 💝

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

Click on my daughter’s image to order your copy! 🧡

Lauren Scott

Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry
Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book)
Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author – This Is How We Grow
Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
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79 thoughts on “The Old Pink Restaurant”

  2. Oh this is superb writing Lauren and I love your personification poem! It’s just awesome and describes so well the lives of those of us adjusting into our “new now” and those that have been displaced! 💓

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much, Maggie. This is only my second or third personification poem. But they are fun to write, even if the mood isn’t so cheerful. I’m glad you enjoyed, dear friend. Hugs and love to you!
      xoxoxo ❤️🌻❤️🌻❤️

      Reply

  13. Wow…I have a “thing” for deserted buildings and this piece really spoke to me, Lauren! Especially this stanza:

    There was a time
    when chatter and laughter
    filled me to the brim,
    bounced off the walls

    Thank you…thank you! 💝

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much, Vicki! Your words mean a lot, and I’m glad this poem resonated. When we drove by the old building full of great memories, I immediately thought of personification. A fun style, even if the poem is sad. Thanks again! Hugs 💖

      Reply

  14. That is a very emotive poem about an abandoned building, which I guess is how some people feel. In the north Swedish countryside, where I grew up there are a lot of abandoned old houses, farm buildings left when an industrial economy replaced an agricultural economy. Houses that no one wanted to buy.

    Reply

      1. In northern Sweden not far from where I used to live there is a ghost town called Laver. It used to be a mining town but no one has lived there since 1947. When I was a kid we used visit abandoned buildings and climb up to attics and into basements. It was very dusty. We had stories about dead people living in these houses. As an adult I came to realize that this was dangerous.

      2. It’s interesting how our perspectives change as we get older. When my parents had a cabin in my childhood, there was a vacant cabin on the road over and the rumor was that it was haunted. I wonder what happened to it.

    1. Aww, thanks so much, Marie! It’s so true, isn’t it? We drive by this old restaurant often and it just sits there, dying a slow death. Hmm, I should’ve added that to the poem. Anyway, I became inspired to write from its perspective. I’m so glad you loved this piece! Wishing you the same, my friend. xoxoxo

      Reply

  22. It’s heartbreaking to see places we loved abandoned. An old friend with fond memories attached like dust in the wind. Beautiful and poignant piece, Lauren. 😢

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Curt! This building is nearby, so we drive by often. And the last time, an idea for a poem popped into my mind. I had to write it down quickly so I wouldn’t forget. 🙂 I’m proud of this one too, and it’s only the second or third personification poem I’ve written, so I appreciate your positive, encouraging feedback. That’s a great song too!

      Reply

  27. I missed this!

    Very melancholy and beautiful poem, Lauren.

    Sometimes I think I’m the Old Pink Restaurant. Lol…. well just on some days, sometimes.

    xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

    Reply

    1. It’s easy, Resa! 🙂 Thanks so much for your beautiful words. This building used to be a fun restaurant, and we have many fond memories. So when we drove by it the other day, a poem came to mind. This is the 2nd or 3rd personification poem I’ve written, but it’s a fun style, even though this one is melancholy. I think I’ve been this old pink restaurant before too. I’m sure many have. Hugs! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

      Reply

  30. “My mood has a mind of its own.
    When the sky opens,
    tears stream down my windows,
    tattooing me with streaks of dirt.”

    I read and reread it, Lauren, both sad and beautiful… a beautiful sadness, as all derelict buildings stir in me. As for the color pink, it is almost the same, a happy color, but still… there is something about it that pulls you through the greys and the browns or blacks, at least in my case. it is an inspiration to me, your poem, as I seem to have all these thoughts going through my mind and heart too, but rarely putting them down “on paper”, to write about an old wall, house, any thing for that matter… mostly focusing my attention on flowers, nature, dreamy beauty… (as I was sharing in so many other words in my answer to your comment in my morning today ☺) Maybe time has come for me to change that, as it feels, and through your writing too, that so many other topics and aspects are appealing, finding amazing inspiration all around 💝

    Thank you, Lauren, for such a lovely read and the inspiration, and wishing you a wonderful time spent with your son and daughter the following week! 💕

    Reply

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