Joyful Ruins

A house may not have a mouth

but it still speaks

Each room carries its own voice

of laughter and stories

each room has sounds of crying

and heart ache

A house may not breathe

but it still has life

you walk into it

and feel its character

and somehow it feels,

welcomes you home

give you a seat

some warmth

even refuge

A house is just a house

but when it turns into a home

it’s not just a house anymore

Secrets and memories are shared there

A bedroom is no longer ordinary

but a place you discovered

who you wanted to be

The kitchen can never just be a kitchen

because it will always have

the scents of your mother’s cooking

or your father’s famous spaghetti and stuffing

Then it’s not just a house

but a platform

a foundation

for creating your family

sisters became best friends

siblings shared embarrassing stories

about their parents

family shared themselves

milestones

heartbreak

transitions

and frivilous joys

I guess I am trying to explain

how much my home means to me

the house and home

that’s why it’s not easy to say

goodbye

because no longer will I sit

in that yard

smiling as I replay

all my childhood memories

it will belong to someone else

and that is not easy to accept