This space

This space

Gradual manifestation of warm

We chose it for the windows

And the Lazy Susan

Wood panelled doors, floors, cupboards, and more

My grandmother would’ve liked the decorative covers on the light switches

There was an aim

Unstated but cemented

We’d hoped to be peaceful together

In our first attempt at the long-haul

Notes in lunches

Sketches on the whiteboard

Hallway hockey with Wicket the Cat

I’ve worked at coming home in many spaces

But cowered to some degree add every interval

If I stretch out here I am not afraid for my life

We’ve made progress there

And in the earthy tone furniture

Also in bringing out grandma’s China on any day

She would have liked that we use her tea pot to make hot Toddy’s

There’s supposed to be two people owning the space

But we’re shy to build a blanket fort just yet

And the humming of the fridge always makes it feel like it’s not ours

Ours would be silent

And sea foam green

And ours would have a purple hallway

Why not?

And ours would constantly have records playing

We forget the player’s there in the corner by the cat tower!

And ours would smell of roses

Not the previous tenant’s patchouly fetish

And ours would be filled with dogs

Not limited to our precious kitty

We’re Link in the Temple of Home

Finally finding the Compass but nowhere near the final test

I know will wake up one morning in the same bed in a different house

With the same cat by a different window

With the same hum from a different fridge

And assume we are dreaming

But for now the floor is hard,

The walls are vertical,

The cat is never quite at ease,

and we are not yet home.

Written by: Sarah C Louise