Big Brown House

The smell of apple and grass
Dances in the dewy air
A big brown house towers over me
The smallest girl in the world – and that’s okay.

   Adventure lurking behind every musty panel
   Exploring an attic of mystery
Finding old soapboxes. In pink and white –
A nostalgic princess

Shaving cream bubble baths
And hugs of grandpa’s cologne
Blue eyed cats and sheepdogs
--I still know their names.


        Wavy blonde baby
       Dressed in polka dots
        Striped shorts
       And bare feet

My first bike ride
    In the driveway
On a rainy day belonging to July
  - It was almost my birthday.

Grandma was in the kitchen
Making blackberry pie - Daddy’s favorite
I took my place by grandpa
And listened to baseball talk between the guys


    Summer nights
    Full of melted slugs
    And starry skies
    Snapdragons and butterflies.

Safe in a memory
Where I'm eldest at 8 or 9
kept alive
in a big brown house.

-Teresa- 7-23-05