Orphaned Slab

Orphaned Slab by Odin Roark They call me a foundation once supporting siding and stone wire plumbing shingles Through the doors of my house trailed family and friends across kitchen floor slanted slightly letting Benny’s agate marbles migrate to the corner Atop my shoulders a house of character once stood usual middle class floor plan even allowing spidery webs their solace in pantry corners squirrels their roof foraging to cottonwood trees shading the three second-story bedrooms kept perfect for home visits from children away at college Downstairs Everett’s TV room rocker always moving back and forth massaged my back well it was a mild massage through the flooring mostly my imagination coming as it did through layered rugs and cat hair Yeah used to hear mother’s complaints “That old vacuum is useless. We need a Kirby, damn it” He’d usually stop his rocking for a second or two then let her know “Just lean in more. All it needs.” and back to his rocking “Kirby. Out of her mind.” But Come spring break Sara’s boombox was rocking of another kind no imagination needed there reminded me how secure this old foundation was until the afternoon when… Felt like a distant train but the clackety-clack of rail cars was out of sync out of control Wind moved in then rain then wind and rain then that God-awful train again had to be from Hell or someplace worse thundering through… It was a long night Been a long couple of weeks Weeds and spider webs now connect through cracks in my body A squirrel or two survived peeking about once in a while still clinging to their downed cottonwood wishing the foraging path was still there wishing there was something to forage Me? Well I’m just a surviving foundation awaiting tomorrow’s sunrise hoping for just the right temperature early in the morning before the sun adds its bleaching effect and I start to remember again Perhaps I’ll have earned some afternoon showers some nourishment for the weeds some droplet sparkles for my spidery friend’s web and who knows… We’re regretful of so much loss the other slabs and me but a foundation is a foundation that’s what we’re built for The start-ups The start-overs Orphan today adopted tomorrow So goes the life of a slab A life some might say is a thankless existence Not so