Houses

 
a house is meant to be loved,

to be moved-into, to be lived in...

to love in, and to die in,

to be buried in the backyard under a lemon tree,

with a simple grave

and it is not a grisly thing,

the youngsters point and laugh

'grampa's in the leaves now!'

a house covers and creaks

shakes in a wind

and in a storm, leaks

a house smiles and sighs

certain smells swirl in certain segments,

you open that cabinet door and breathe in the air from the last time you opened it (five years ago...or 3 months)

a house is meant to be built with labor and intent

a house is meant to harbor many little beloved plants,

gifts from friends arranged around the room,

and the rain slides down the windows

a house is meant to be died with

a house is meant to be born in

a house is mean to be passed down over and over

a house should only rarely be bought and sold--

to buy a house and keep it vacant,

is to deprive it of itself,

to keep it trapped in bad condition,

dust and gravel filling the floor

and the wood and concrete cracking away

is to maim its lungs and step on its eyes

 

a house is meant to be its own kingdom,

whispered and talked about among schoolchildren,

little knights and princesses discussing which province to visit

and a house is meant to harbor happiness,

but sadness too

you hear sounds from the main floor

of an angry parent, or of a scream or shout

or an abrupt movement that makes you scared

and then it goes away

a house is meant to be a house

and in the heart, the kitchen, you cook and one makes a big mess making something tasty and the other must clean for an hour, but they dont really mind it,

and in the after hours you look out your window and you see the glitter of streetlights, but only in winter,

a house is meant to be slept in,

to wake up suddenly in a sweat,

to lie next to someone else on the carpet

a house is meant to receive groceries,

hauling in whatever you bought that day

a house gets messy, slowly,

and then it gets shaken violently like a rug

and it sheds its excess all at once

in a large cleaning session

and a house is meant to be loved, and to love in