Ghosts (2) Poem by Mary Champion

(Reflections on visiting a National Trust property.
I know that the great country houses and estates are monuments to unjustifiable privilege - often gained by devious means and maintained by unsavoury, even outrageous practices. But I also know, that if I had ever had the good fortune to own one - it would have broken my heart to give it up)


Walking in the shadows of History
along the smooth worn stones. How many shoes
have left their mark through centuries of use?
Yes, I am aware of ghosts around me.
The fabric of this house has memory,
it speaks to me of spirits who refuse
to leave what was their home and now suffuse
this place that witnessed joy and tragedy.
The few, who through genetic accident,
inherited the sumptuous domain.
The many, toiling each demanding day
in service of this mouldering monument.
While every atom radiates the pain
and guilt of one who willed it all away.