ode to my home

at first glance you look like any ranch home
limestone clad, long narrow windows
approaching the front door
there’s the surprise of an elm growing through
the front porch roof

many falls ago the roof was pounded
by a limb from that elm
leaving an insurance payment
along with a story

it’s hard to notice your sounds during the day
when we’re running around, living inside
but at night or early morning
the sound of squirrels racing across the roof
or the sigh of the AC before it belts out cold air
remind us we are home

I remember the first visit
one summer afternoon, not terribly impressive
in style, more room than we’d known til then
but it was the back porch with a leftover glider
where we sat and began to imagine our life

thirty years later surrounded by memories and artifacts
sequestered here these last four months
I feel lucky, a Zoom window I call my own,
shared with children and partners, dogs and a cat
this house I call home