A creaky door with broken panes,
Paint chipping from the walls,
Loud “drip-drip”ing of the faucets
Echoing down the winding halls;
It was a fixer-upper
When we first moved in this place,
But there was hope, a sense of joy
That no one could replace.
So we spent time adjusting too, by
Carpeting the stairs,
Refurbishing the fireplace,
Repairing wears and tears;
And by the end it was a sight
To see the fortunes we had reaped;
This house had become a masterpiece -
The “beauty” from the beast.
And so it grew and so did we,
And here our memories bred
Of food and fun and family,
Of all the love that spread.

But all too soon new memories
Started rising from the dust –
Of fire and fights and famine -
Now I could smell the rust.
The walls became new punching bags,
And started to cave in
And all too quickly the house had lost
The love once held within
We sat and watched our lives crumble -
The fights broke out each night,
And fists through window panes had proved
The house would suffer from our plight.
We couldn’t hold on forever
So we decided to escape,
But our house that once stood tall and proud
Wore a new lopsided shape.
It had served its purpose, served it well
But now,‘twas not enough;
The ill-willed hurt was prodding us –
The fates had called our bluff.
So now we stand here, where we stood
But nothing is the same
We have to leave – we cannot wait
To watch our world decay.
So "new and better things," I guess;
I wave the house adieu
But the house does not wave back, For it has gone
And so, my dear, have you.

10/23/2011