Days Gone By

The monster of a gate commanded my attention Heavy,wrought iron, ornate. A definite unquestionable boundary It guided to a beautifully shaped pool My gaze traveled to the house, three full stories I imagined large rooms, the kind that could welcome a 10 foot Christmas tree and both sides of the family. Large shuttered windows strategically placed, it was a beauty. This house had lived Mommas had worn the floor rocking their babies Cowboys had blown out birthday candles And princesses had danced on their daddy’s shoes How many paths had been paced waiting for that Precious one to cross the threshold How many goodnight kisses had been stolen before they crossed Stockings had been hung, eggs had been hunted Mother’s and Father’s Day presents glued and colored And heads bowed before supper The welcoming porch hugged and the perimeter of the front Large wicker chairs with plumped pillows on either side of the open Window while the curtain blew in the breeze How many glasses of lemonade on hot afternoons, hands raised as Neighbors passed, and bowls of homemade ice cream after church What color had the house been, it was now hard to say Not enough paint left to peel. The shutters hung crooked and the Thousands of footsteps had worn the porch thin while small Houses ate it’s yard The big gate guarded a stained, empty swimming pool And the ghost of giggles from days gone by