Foreclosure Day…

It stood upon the hill,

Silent as I passed by,

 A golden glow shone through,
the lace covered windows…

Lucky, I thought as I dreamed of the life inside,
but I was on the outside looking in.

The year was 1983,

A year never to be forgotten,
layoff, broken budget, and returned furniture.
Upon the porch of this humble white home,

Whicker furniture where one could relax and read.
The yard with beautiful shade trees,

And the shutters painted green.
But I was on the outside looking in.

Times were tough,
macaronis, beans, and potatoes were a smorgasbord,

Wood heat to reduce the electric bill,

Yard sales galore,

Two part time jobs to replace the one lost,

A three-year old son whom didn’t realize,

But only enjoyed his daddy being home.

I with fear for another was on the way.

Smoke curled upward from the little house upon the hill,

As snow covered the ground,

Frost clung to the lit windows,

I was on the outside looking in.

The decision had to be made,

For it was nearing foreclosure day,

Boxes lined the hall,

And soon the bed of the pickup truck,

But where would we go?

The news came on a Friday afternoon…

I’ll never forget that day…

The little white house upon the hill,

Yes, it was empty and awaiting me,

Our family was a family in need,

And the little house was a house in need of a family.

Where had the occupants gone,

Who were they and why did they leave such a wonderful home?

 Would I ever know?

It was 1984…

A year to never be forgotten,

I was on the inside looking out...

Written By: Joyce Bowling

©Copyright 2007

All Rights Reserved

 

Looking back…this seems like another life, another time. It also makes me appreciate our farm, home, family, and every blessing that we’ve been given. This poem was actually written based upon two of the hardest years of our lives. My husband lost his job when the coal industry began to weaken, I was pregnant with our second child and we actually lost our home. We did move into the little white house upon the hill for about a year, until God made a way for us. There was a very good reason why the occupants moved out of the little white house on the hill, the same as we, but that will be divulged in a different write…to be continued….