House

The house feels so much smaller now as

My children have grown into teenagers

And the family room

Where my daughter is busy recreating a plant cell

For a science project,

Is the same room where my son and his girlfriend are sitting down

To watch a movie.

The rooms

House so many memories,

Prebirth

When this little house almost seemed too big

Without children

In it.

Then once they arrived

Almost 4 years apart

The house seemed to embrace them

Inside their rooms with the slanted ceilings

And white paned windows.

Our family room

Not too long ago

Contained a doll house strewn with beautifully dressed princess barbies

And mysteriously decapitated ken dolls.

There was also a large plastic bin full of Lego blocks,

Its lid

behind the box of

Overflowing

random Lego pieces.

Too warped to be able to snap shut snuggly on the rounded corners.

Now a horror movie plays

In that otherwise occupied room

Where styrofoam,

Paint

and my daughter’s science diagram

Are subtle reminders

That date night comes with it’s own conditions

In a home that has suddenly become so small.

J. Hamilton