The house was waiting sullen without you
Like a child that doesn’t exactly know why.
Your sunroom says I need a good scrubbing
Self-conscious, and forever never good enough.
I am watching the shadows weave and bob
Against the mantle of trees that dwarf us all
Vanilla bark against the old dark film and
You underneath it all, naked and calm
And smiling in your restless sleep.
The light against window shades invites
Undoing these bones that scaffold the walls.
And hiding in cardboard boxes,
Regret is almost set to this morning moon,
A score the sunlight left a beat too long.
And in your bed your good hands told me so
Hundred-year-old chairs and metal ceilings
That prevent sadness from creeping in to
Layers of paint so that if it peeled away
If it all peeled away what could you do
What could any of us do really, but
Light the candles again
And roll out the stars.