it is a house you build Aug 7, 2018

sometimes from an empty lot
green with weeds and scrub
rises an empire of gold and pearl
and deep purple pillows

sometimes you put up in an abandoned house
sharing for a time with the mice and raccoons
old pizza, discarded cups

find your friends and bring them over
roll dice together and laugh and cry
and create real memories of unreal places
time and stories more valuable than copper

fighting against nature the whole way —
breath, gravity, friction, entropy —
nails in a load-bearing beam, a fresh coat of paint
a door that sticks and a gate that squeaks
trees in need of a good trim
but your lawn is immaculate

spend time fixing a lamp
knocked over by an impromptu indoor beachball volley
spend time listening to the birds
and the stories they tell in 32/64 time
to your lover who is most similar to you
of anything you encounter all day
volatile like a termite nest
pale rose like the light of the evening sky
as much a part of you as your left arm

it is a decision you make
to put in the effort
to love the world
and everything
in it

‌

it is a house you build

links to: the words on the map and the birds in the trees ought not to have to agree.

linked from:
- hate has no home here
- X. The Cloud of Eyes

all writing, chronological
next: like coming up for air
previous: a watch is a view of time