Our quaint four bedroom home

Could not be mistaken for a mansion

But castles rise in children’s minds

Where none have ever been built

My first world was one of fantasy

And family in our semi-secluded

Lot in the northwest suburbs

Of the busy city of Chicago

Seven people lived in that house

But often there were more

Than just us in our little world

That seemed so far away from life

A home that was my place of

Safety, loneliness, happiness,

My youth, my family, and my past

Now gone from the family’s status