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AN OLD COUPLE'S HOUSE

 AN OLD COUPLE'S HOUSE

An Old Couple’s House


 Have you ever been in an old couple’s house?

Tis really a grand sight to see

It’s an eclectic assortment of Ma  and Pa Kettle

With a little bit of Fibber McGee.


There are trashcans and Kleenex beside every chair

Newspapers on tables stacked high

There are piles of books waiting for a” just in case” moment

And lamps bright for tired old eyes


There are antiques and junque everywhere that you look

And most are covered with dust

And visitors have no comprehension

Why we keep them, but we know we must


Each one a reminder of days now gone by

All the things we have loved through the years

No meaning for others, but to us they are gold

In our memories they bring happy tears


The dishes are old, with faded vintage design

The cups and the saucers don’t match

The bowls of all sizes lopsidedly sit

Now they’re part of just one mingled batch.


The bed with mixed patterns of pillows and sheets

Sits between bedside tables that hold

All the pills that are needed for pain and for sleep

There’s a quilt at the foot for night cold


The walls are covered with pictures so precious

Each one tells a story of “when”

When we lived in “that house”, when we had “that cat”

When young daughter had the missing tooth grin;


There are baby pictures there, now of three generations

And wedding pictures, handsome groom, pretty bride

All reminders of the many miles of this journey

That we’ve travelled and still side by side.


The curtains aren’t new and the walls need some paint

And the carpet is definitely faded

The windows won’t open and the plumbing can leak

And the furniture is very outdated


The recliners and rockers show signs of their age

But comfort only matters by now

They know our bodies and we know their soft places

So to these time adjustments we bow


There’s no use denying old age coming on

We’re comfortable in this wrinkled skin

Our faces show laugh lines and worry crinkles too

What we’ve seen and the places we’ve been


So to us this is home, we’re not ready to leave

Though we know we can’t live forever

For as long as we last, we’ll enjoy the past

And the future, til life’s ties we sever.


© Joan Rowden Hart 2017



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