OUR LITTLE YELLOW HOUSE

I went there the other day

The country road is paved

There's even a traffic light near the corner store

I pulled in our drive

Ruts rattled my car

I thought of the times we had

Most good

Can't remember any bad

I stood in the yard

The apple tree needed trimming

And weeds were tall

I could barely see the porch

I climbed the three steps

They creaked as usual

That board was still loose

The front door was unhinged

Some windows were broke

Inside, graffiti covered the walls

Sheetrock kicked in

And the roof still leaked

But now much worse

I stepped out to the rear deck

It was quiet

The new freeway was still

Not many cars yet

Prefab houses covered our back pasture

The stock pond was dry

And that can of yellow paint was where you left it

By the window sill

We had such dreams for this place

Winters were cold

The heater seldom worked

But cuddling under blankets got us through the nights

Summers were hot

Too hot

Didn't have air-conditioning

Just a bunch of fans we sweated in front of

But we made it our home

I remember getting up with the sun

And watching the horses out back

Morning dew glistening

A cup of coffee

Your hand to hold

We could just barely see the city's skyline in the distance

Times have changed that

This old place held us together

And gave us something special

Love

Now, I'm in that city

And you followed your dreams in another

A thousand miles away

Too soon this will all be gone

But my memories of you

And our little yellow house will remain

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Lon Casler Bixby is a professional photographer and published author in various genres: Fiction, Poetry, Humor, Photography, & Comic Books.

You can find him on Amazon.

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