From Denny: Lately, I've been watching too much HGTV House Hunters International that I think I'm beginning to "channel" it. :) Seriously though, it did get me thinking overview wise of humanity in general when it comes to building a home.
Then I went cruising through the Flickr database and had too much fun finding these awesome and unusual photos. Try plugging in a search over there for "houses" and you will pull up over 300,000 photos. After wading through over 2,000 photos these were the winners for you today.
The poem was sparked by the house hunting programs and then refined as I found some most curious house photos that revealed the owners' desires and intent for what they wanted to create in the world and for their lives. Then the poem was off and running! Enjoy the wonderful art photos.
Hunting Our Home
It’s our nature to make a home for ourselves
Dividing the inner space for comfort
Designing the outer armor for show
Cultivating a garden to complement and rest
We wonder about what the other guy has...
Where do they live?
How do they live?
Why did they choose what they did?
We travel the world exploring
Opening doors and entering novel rooms
Crowding into our heads fresh ways to see
Different places and distinctive faces
Look at all the extraordinary people
Their houses speak their owners’ intent
The wealthy build grand gleaming palaces
Strutting their status in society and imagined worth
The homes point the way desire travels
Sometimes wealth can seep corruption
And old houses reflect unintended decay
Perversion builds a home destroyed by atom bomb tests
Old status homes descend down to the haunted
Playgrounds for today’s Halloween children
Some remain abandoned for centuries obsolete
Others live abundantly well-loved in lush fields
Still others thrive most elegantly aloof
While some cling to live ruggedly remote
Others perform the dance of the cliffs most modern
While others melt grinning into their environment
A few joyfully proclaim themselves, unabashed
While others choose another intentional life
One chooses outward memorials to those now gone
While another chooses inward Hopi contemplation
Some chose to cultivate isolated serenity
Some visit simplicity in the warming sun
Some blend home with garden in delight
Some soar their intellect with imagination
We continue walking through this thing called Life
Always poking through the hedges to see more
Remembering our houses, our homes, our creations
Are truly, while growing and changing, are but fishers of men
Denny Lyon
Copyright 9 October 2009
All Rights Reserved
Thanks for visiting, everyone! Have a great weekend!
*** For more poems with great photos visit the companion page I built to my poetry blog where I have all kinds of links like to friends who write poetry and much more. Check out the links to my poetry under Dennys Poems and Libations Friday! segments and enjoy laughing at the funny quotes on the Cheeky Quote Day! segments too, it's called The Social Poets Fav Links, go here.
*** I built yet another companion page to The Social Poets blog to stash links to my favorite blogs and bloggers(and growing, if you have any suggested sites or blogs to add, please email me: Denny Lyon, warriorspearl@gmail.com). To visit The Social Poets Fav Bloggers, go here.
***
Photo Credits
Houses in Vlissingen (Holland) photo by Pingu1963 @ flickr
Rococo-style stone house in Guadalajara Mexico photo by Wonderlane @ flickr
Ornate green door photo by Señor Codo @ flickr
Inner room photo by wili_hybrid @ flickr
New Orleans French Quarter "Miltenberger House" house photo by David Paul Ohmer @ flickr
Dragon weather vane photo by James Jordan @ flickr
Twilight storm photo by James Jordan @ flickr
Rundown house photo by just_a_name_thingi e @ flickr
Atomic bomb test house (Nevada, USA) photo by itjournalist @ flickr
Haunted house on the hill photo by country_boy_shane @ flickr
Lonely Ireland house Photo by dingbat2005 @ flickr
Canola fields house photo by Paraflyer @ flickr
Yellow Brazil house Photo by tipiro @ flickr
Trail house photo by bwhistler @ flickr
Modern west coast cliff house photo by pnwra @ flickr
Stone house in Portugal photo by Jsome1 @ flickr
Striped house in Portugal photo by pedrosimoes @ flickr
The Cross House on Chesnut Street (Chicago, Illinois, USA) photo by Señor Codo @ flickr
Hopi house photo by Al_HikesAZ @ flickr
Little isolated house photo by Fr Antunes @ flickr
A house on the beach photo by fotografar @ flickr
Town House, Chinon Photo by *Susie* @ flickr
Little Red House on Pine Planet Photo by visulogik @ flickr
Live oaks walkway at Oak Alley Plantation photo by David Paul Ohmer @ flickr
Garden walk photo by oseillo @ flickr
White House photo by dcJohn @ flickr
Fisherman from Portugal photo by pedrosimoes @ flickr
