Our first house was a cottage
Built in the 1940s
Our first married playhouse
So cold that one winter
I nailed quilts over the windows
To keep us warm

Our second house was grander
Built in the 1920s
Extravagant with porches
High ceilings
And the perfect room
For the Christmas tree

Our third house was an A frame
In the Arkansas woods
Tiny and cozy
Where I learned the ways
Of hummingbirds
And you held siskins in your hand

Our fourth house was magic
1880s farm house and seven acres
Filled with angels
And falling stars
Where I lost and found myself
Walking in the sassafras woods

Our fifth house, will this be our last?
Probably not, by choice or by necessity.
A house of comfort and hospitality
Summer camp and friends’ B&B
Lucky enough to be by the water
And facing the rising sun.

But were these truly home?
Each held our days and years
Our hopes and dreams.
But no, not my home, my love,
My true and precious home
Is only in your loving embrace.

*** Second in the series – variations on the theme – Home