A Row of Empty Houses

I see a row of empty houses

with windows wide like eyes, staring

at the world, filled with anticipation,

doors ready to open to dreams fulfilled,

walls ready to bear witness

to the messy joys of life, rooms

ready to hold a love so great

that it cannot be contained

by floors and ceilings, with fresh

paint and trim hedges,

an open invitation. A house,

ready to become a home.

I see a row of empty houses

with windows wide like eyes, staring

at the world, filled with weariness,

doors that have been closed on broken dreams,

walls that have borne witness

to the disappointments of life, rooms

that have held the weight of pain so deep

that it cannot be contained

by floors and ceilings, with faded

paint and overgrown hedges,

a warning, keep out. A house,

that is no longer a home.