EARLY LIFE

i had a yellow room
two windows
with a rainbow sun-sticker on one
i had a loft,
and burgundy flannel sheets,
a mauve comforter
and an oriental rug.
my house was well lit, comfortable
the rooms flowed easily
from one to the other
like solidified light
or air personified
and we were happy
there were three of us
and in three more months
there would be four

i remember a cherry window seat
that flipped up
to make the perfect hiding spot
when i knew i had to clean the litterbox
we had a huge, gray, long haired cat
mellowed with the arrival of a girl
she was high queen of the house
and was almost above using kitty klean
but not quite

in our fron room were three huge bay windows
with fluttery soft curtains
i would run from one to the other
till i was dizzy with the sanguine nature
of life
the sun rose in front of those windows
lighting the glass
turning it amber yellow
until it looked as though
the sun itself
breathed existence the molten sand

we were outside often
we played with the water hose
the cat
and the universe
and i loved the feel of warm cement
and cool grass
on my bare feet

i had a game i played
in our olive green, stable-garage;
as old as the house.
it had nails for tack
and a second story loft for hay
now my restaurant (tavern...inn)
complete with menu board and tables.
there was a horse and buggy downstairs
the polished black carriage wheels
had gold rim inlay
and mother of pearl flower petals.
the chestnut mare
held her head high
she stomped her hooves
rattling my dishes
it all seemed to whisper of leather,
  horse sweat
and hay

and i can smell the old wood
nothing else in the world
smells like hundred-year-old oak
when you walk up into the attic
the smell surrounds you
clouds around your feet
pricks your nose
settles in your hair
and doesn't let go for some days after

the yellow color of my room has long
  since faded
and painted over twice
the rug sold in a yard sale for twelve
  dollars
the window seat holds linen
  tableclothes now
and the cat and her throne have gone

the curtains are folded
in a corner of the attic
that garage fell down long ago
(i sat on the window seat and watched it
  out the window)
but the horse and buggy are still
  downstairs
and I
am hiding
in the corner
Lynn Disolvo
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