by Zara Dyhrberg, Year 8
The wooden door clicks closed behind me and I start the walk home from work. My feet drag. Rubble is scattered along the ground as I walk by The Arts Centre.
I change direction, now facing the old building. Through an open window, saws and hammers labour through the many rooms. My feet carry me further inside, past the place where an arch once towered. A spire stands in the centre of the courtyard, the once pearl white stone now mossy and faded. Wooden beams nailed together haphazardly, wrap around its missing legs. An iron staircase by a second storey window judders in the wind.
Minutes tick by. Turning, I run. Away from the ruins, to my rebuilt home, to the boxes. I dig through them until I find what I’m looking for. A photo album from my childhood days. I turn the pages and the memories flow.
This piece was written at workshop exploring past, present and future. We wrote in different tenses using a heritage photograph of The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora in Christchurch.
To view the photo that inspired this writing go HERE
(c) Write On and Zara