I have to leave
Leave this old house, my home
Where I came as young bride
Carried over the threshold
As we laughed – and loved
The children have grown
They think they know better
They say I need something newer
This house is too old, they tell me
I am too old, they mean
Room after room
This was the nursery
Holding cradle and crib
For tiny, sweet, talcum-scented newborns
And feisty toddlers
Here is the spot
Bill’s experiment went awry
And his magic formula soaked in
Leaving his mark on the wooden floorboards
Also on my heart
In this room danced
Lena Ballerina with her magic hippo
And in this doorway here
Libby got her magical first kiss
Under the mistletoe
I was right here
At the kitchen sink
When my oldest, Bill
Told me of his love, the wedding to come
And the baby
In this corner here
Every year stood the tree
Children and grandchildren
Gathered around singing, bringing Santa here
Love held our hearts
Under this window
I held his hand
My precious love’s hand
I kissed his soft lips, dripping tears on his face,
As I told him goodbye
How can a house –
Such a ramshackle house –
Hold my heart in its walls?
Weathered boards make a house stout, sturdy, safe
Memories make a home
Hurry! Hurry!
Take me to my new house!
Let’s have Christmas in July
Make some memories in the hall, kitchen, parlor
So this new house becomes my home.