The Blinds 

Seventeen stories high

metal blinds flutter

as their window’s breeze fills the room.

Clink

clink clink clink

go delicate blades,

whose feather-light touches gift perspective –

ah, yes, in some state or other,

even sturdy things get moved.

A Couch

Gray, plush, padded fiber

collects tufts of white fur

from the dog who stands guard,

seated, above seven hundred feet square,

the space she now calls home.

Beside her,

a bag and two coats

mark the return of a family who,

cozied up to their four-legged friend,

fear the loss of somewhere they can’t return.

If only they could view instead

the place they’ve arrived

through the eyes of their companion.

Six Drawers

Tucked within six wooden drawers,

loose papers document life here and there,

before it will be forgotten.

Each one meticulously chosen,

for while there was little space,

each one, too, traveled many miles

to make a home in this corner of the world.

♥

Ryan Vale McGonigle