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And the furniture is very outdated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
Comments