This Old House

The house was at the edge of town

and prosperity had left it alone

and neglected, the shutters hanging

precariously, the paint peeling

and the front steps splintered and broken,

betraying the beauty within.

She lived on the edge of sanity,

and reason left her alone

and solitary, intimacy not able

to withstand the treason of 

broken vows, a crushed heart 

refusing to divulge the secrets within.

He worked on the head of a pin,

and dancing with demons left him alone

and embittered, the frequent and tortured

target of miscreants with no other purpose

than stealing his livelihood, killing his joy,

destroying his legacy and the pride within.

Together, the house, the woman, and

the man found themselves in a new

place, a new race to the finish, and

together they found the grace to rebuild

houses and lives in a manner that 

restored beauty, love and tranquility.

And all of the people said, “Amen.”