Sweet Tentacles

by Debi Swim
(Princeton, WV)

Naked windows, ragged lawn
Empty clothes pins on the lines
The door’s not locked
I walk right in pushing vines
That twine around the door frame.
Linoleum floors sag under my feet
The oil stove is cold and dusty
Cobwebs adorn the corners
Of paint peeled walls
I walk on into the rooms
I knew so well once as a child
The kitchen holds the most ghosts,
Grandma cooking at the stove
Grandpa at the table slurping coffee
Three grandkids trying not to miss the bus
Mom already gone to work at the factory
Coffee percolating a rhythm that sets the pace
Happy, hurried, bustling sounds
Sausage sizzling, biscuits browning
Breakfast scents hang heavy on the air
Succulent, honeyed, layered memories
Tangle me in sweet tentacles of yesterday.


Author's Note:
This poem was inspired by an image at My Word Wizard Poetry Prompts at:
http://www.mywordwizard.com/poetry-prompts.html