I.
It sprang into being
with all the bells and whistles,
the loving couple,
the dog and cat,
the little one,
all cavorting in and about,
footsteps creak and bellow,
songs,
smells of honey bread,
oregano, lift to rest
in its rafters, it is
filled and content
to bask in the busy moments
of such lives.
ii.
Cradled in cold support,
a simple gesture to its
ending, the rooms, now,
are full and somber,
the shadows dance all red and blue,
the men all stand with arms folded,
nodding, the women keen,
rocking back and forth,
the wind screams through
my eaves and everything
is smothered in a blanket of snow.
iii.
Echoes left in
whisperless slumber
in spiders' dreams and
utter silence. I forget
who I am. The mouse's
whiskers break my heart
as he cleans and cleans
them, the sound pounding
across my vacuum,
reverberating again and
again. I will go mad
in this loneliness
between my arms.
