The Porch

He asked for a descriptive passage.  He said write something you know well.  Write about anything, just make sure the reader knows how it looks, smells, tastes, feels.
Written for the select few who know...

The Porch

The old, locked French doors reveal a sunny day just beyond the open, uninhabited porch.  Once painted a bright, clean white, the porch now takes on the color of bone, cracked and peeling where rain and snow have seeped in, accenting the wear and tear of many seasons.  The brick and mortar floor is stained green from clumps of moss that resemble velvety pincushions nestled within the cracks, taking on a polka dot pattern.  In the far left corner stands a small stack of firewood with splinters that poke out.  The splinters brandish dead, curled in leaves like medieval shields, ready to do battle with any hand that attempts to carry the log to the stone fireplace.  Spiders of varying sizes and brown hues lurk in the four upper corners, watching over their egg sacks and waiting for their next oblivious meal to fly into their translucent death traps.  The blue-gray slate roof often becomes a makeshift dance floor for the tapping toes of silver squirrels in search of acorns in the full gutters.  A giant yew, a pair of aging azaleas, clusters of earthy ferns, and a sickly hemlock enclose the porch, offering partial privacy.  Just a few feet away lays the avenue, busy with cars, bikes, skateboards, and children on a candy run to the Wawa on the corner.  Night falls and the porch is taken over by the cool, mineral rich scent of soil, the warm, mellow scent of wood, and the savory aroma of onions frying within the corner pizza shop's kitchen, that wafts over in the evening breeze.  The relic of a porch light, encased with dusty warped glass and a black frame has burned out, shrouding the enclosure in a cloak of darkness.  As the night grows older, the entrancing blue moonbeams stretch their way to the portico, casting a thick shadow stain across the floor.  Without fear of man or woman's intrusion, furry, feathered, and cottony winged nocturnal callers pay a visit to the porch.     

E.A. O'Connell