Friday, November 17, 2017

Dream Houses


I could live in a cottage by a brook
With a tiny bridge and a winding path,
Green door and shutters beneath a curving tile roof,
And wake to the beat of swans' wings
And the honey  fragrance of blooming flowers.


I could live in a house behind a wall
Where peacocks pace amid strange blooms
And tall trees like lilac clouds soar above the chimneys.
From the three little attic windows, I can see everything
And hear the peacocks' cries.

 
I could live in a happy yellow house
With gables and dormers and a vine growing up the side.
When snow lies on the roof, I will imagine
The purple of the wisteria against the yellow wall in Spring.



I could live in a house with many-paned windows,
Chimneys and odd finials and a balustered wall.
When the moon sinks low and the snow grows deep,
I will wrap a red muffler round the poor statue,
Shivering in its icy niche.


I could live in a witchy house, tall and brooding,
With a shop on the bottom floor. 
 Here will I sell herbs and simples,
Potions and lotions for the villagers
Who visit me only by night.

I came across this site HERE that features vintage shelter magazine covers and fell in love with these illustrations.  I don't know who the artist is (or if there are several artists) but my imagination took wing. You should really zoom in on each one to see all the charming details.


5 comments:

Thérèse said...

It looks like your home Vicky when I read your descriptions and see your own pictures...

Barbara Rogers said...

What? Poetry? Well, close enough for my taste. There are rhymes at times. And the words are evocative of the pictures...so at first I thought the collection was written in the times...but now I have surmised you wrote it. Nice experience of enjoying words and visuals. Thanks!

Carol Crump Bryner said...

I just love these covers. And I always loved reading House Beautiful magazine in its heyday. And such a perfect poem to go along with those charming dreamy houses. I feel glad to have grown up in the age of magazines. When I was young, both my grandmothers passed magazines along to me when they were done. From one grandma we received Life magazine every Saturday afternoon along with her homemade baked beans for dinner. And the other grandmother got McCall's magazine, that had a kid's page at the end with paper dolls, I think. Such joy I got from those weekly offerings!

Vicki Lane said...

My grandmother got McCalls and I adored the Betsy McCall paper dolls!

katy gilmore said...

Well you knew I would love these. Just love. Words and pictures!