And the house sat in decay
Where memories once lived
Down at the dead end street
Of the laneway once frequently traveled
The walls now stood dying
Encasing the love of the family that made it a home
With the knowledge and skills they had at the time
Doing the best they could with what they had
At a troubled time for all of them
Hurting each other while just trying to survive
And live life the only way they could
Raising a little girl between tears and yelling
Hugs and homemade meals
Running away in tv shows and crossword puzzles
Hectic work schedules and long deliveries to the north
And barbies who didn’t know why
They fought with each other when playing make believe
Now those memories live in precarious pockets
In the fragile minds of those that lived them
Few daring to speak them
Or even try to understand why
But to heal the decaying walls of my heart
I dare to speak and dare to look and dare to heal
Because it’s the only way I know how to live my life today
Refusing to keep running like the days before
I’ve put the barbies away
And am done playing make believe with life
But I still dare to dream and go after those dreams with my soul to make them reality
Because today I know the difference of escaping
And hoping for change…