The House my Grandfather Built

The sky kisses the roof in a sherbert sunriseBathing the red house on the corner
In brilliant yellow light
That makes the grass glow neon green

Is it the day of the yard sale
Friendly unfamiliar faces
Buying snippets of your life
Little chunks of memories
Passed to others for the right price

Or is the day I learned to drive
As gathering storms swirled
In the dark gray skies
Rain hurling down
On a girl with wide eyes

Maybe it's a day from this very month
Where we came together in hugs and words
And laughed in tandem
In a life and room transformed
The walls, the house,
just a whisper of what had been

Close your eyes
And pick a memory at random
Starring the home on this land
Where you once stretched
To reach the sink with baby hands

Where you felt the burning smack
Of spitting water on a sunburnt teenaged back

Where you hugged your loved ones
Before they left this earth

It held your family
It took your heart
Watched you grow tall
Saw you depart
Welcomed you back


This is the house my grandfather
made with his hands



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