Kenopsia (different him)
it's ninety years ago
shut your eyes and you'd know it by the silent songs of blackboards and desks and chalk dust
its fifty years ago
in corridors you'd feel the bustle and the barks of teachers drifting like cigarette smoke above invisible satchels and insistent footsteps
its twenty years ago
one small boy in detention sees the ghosts of children who have outlived their names on the register
he says nothing for they have their fingers to their lips.
its now
amongst silent songs I wait
to see if that boy has joined them
or if he's still me
- Category: General / Misc
7 comments add one below
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Christopher 7 months ago
This is an intriguing series. I'm still trying to decipher the meaning of this one but it's beautifully written.
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Drew Martyn 7 months ago
Thanks Christopher :)
Apparently, Kenopsia is a recently made up word for that feeling you get in an empty place that's usually busy.
It's about that feeling you get when you return to your old school when it's empty (in my head it's soon to be demolished) and you get kenopsia, and wonder where all the kids are now, are they still alive? Are childrens ghosts there? If not ghosts, then perhaps the remains of their energy? -
Drew Martyn 7 months ago
And being cut off from the world in that strange environment, perhaps recalling a memory from when he had detention, the narrator has the sensation that he, too, may also be a "ghost"...
I've tried to make it ethereal and full of unreality, focusing more on senses and sensations rather than actual things.
Dunno if that makes any sense (I'm not sure it does to me, lol) -
Drew Martyn 7 months ago
I only discovered "kenopsia" very recently, so of course had to get it into a drabble :)
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Jeff Taylor 7 months ago
That was haunting in more than one way Drew. Really good! 😊
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Christopher 7 months ago
Thanks for the explanation, Drew. I learned something new.
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Drew Martyn 7 months ago
Thank you both :)
