Staircases – A Poem by Lauren White

Submitted by Lauren White

Ascending an old staircase
Each turn a mystery to me
She is an elegant, old dame
Aged, worn, but refined
She knows things
Long forgotten by most
What stories could she tell me
Of the memories etched in her steps?
What history is hidden under the dust
That my hand on her banister
Sends dancing into the window light?
She can recall every slip, trip and bruise
She has scars of her own, too
Onesies, wedding dresses and funeral veils
Tap shoes, winter socks or plain bare feet
First climbs and final ones
She knows the gait of the regulars
And the one-timers who never came again
She knows the deep-seated secrets
Left by those who’ve passed through
And when their ghosts come to claim them
Every twist and turn has a past
Of course, she’ll never tell
Her only confidants
The light from the daystar