spring2015

Reed VenrickWhen a House is Not a Homean abandoned houseno longer lived in for longthe roof will find a leakand when not turned and oiledthe locks rustthe nails cannot hold fastshelves that buckleand warping doorsand somewhere there’s a leakthe mold grows in the attic ceilingand on the basement wallsand behind bathroom doorsand leaves collect in the drainsthe broken windowfrom a growing branchin the rainstormand the mice that packand the bats clinginginside the chimney fluethe spiders, termites, antsthat live on rotting woodand the molding carpetand the furniture creakingfrom lack of usethe structure, a human builtbut for a house to be a homeit must be lived inor the ghosts will find a wayto make their earthly form79