Friday, June 29, 2012

a kind, amiable animal

Idly, you understand, idly we had been watching the grassy neighborhood verges for realtors' signs, not taking the idea of moving too seriously, not investing overly because the whole idea of leaving our current house (pictured), of organizing a move, is beyond daunting--although a month ago we impetuously made an offer on one house which thank the stars we didn't get; it wasn't right at all, but we got our feet wet.

And then last Sunday there it was, a house just the right amount of bigger, in a spot neither too close nor too far away, nothing needing to be done to it, full of colors that spoke to us--if not laughingly, as in our current house, then expressively, in a few different languages, and with a garden that reminds us that outdoors is home too.  We let the sellers know by our offer that we could picture ourselves there and they believed us, and now we have bought a house.  Exclamation mark.  We are soaked!

All in the family agree:  we're excited for the new house, its fresh possibilities, but we're sad to leave the old house, which is, after all, a member of the family.



What My House Would Be Like If It Were A Person
Denise Levertov

This person would be an animal.

This animal would be large, at least as large

as a workhorse. It would chew cud, like cows,

having several stomachs.

No one could follow it

into the dense brush to witness

its mating habits. Hidden by fur,

its sex would be hard to determine.

Definitely it would discourage

investigation. But it would be, if not teased,

a kind, amiable animal,

confiding as a chickadee....


Read the rest here, and stop by Paper Tigers for today's Poetry Friday roundup, where Marjorie has picked out a gem of a book to share!

11 comments:

  1. I feel your pain. Our old house goes on the market this weekend. We move to the new, slightly larger house with more outside in August. Both houses will need poems.

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  2. Fantastic poem, and new to me, which is even better! Congratulations on finding a house that speaks to you in foreign languages. Wonderful. The moving part is so temporary... you'll get through it and be happy you did! Thanks for sharing.

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  3. A house HAS to speak to you, I think, before you can make that jump from the familiar into the new.

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  4. Congrats on the new house! Fun, fun.

    Love the idea of sitting in a house's lap while it purrs...

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  5. Congrats on the new house! Moving is definitely daunting and traumatic. Sounds like your new place has a warm, inviting lap all ready for you and your family. I can tell it will love all your x's and o's.

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  6. Congratulations on your new home - very exciting, if tinged with a wrench to where you live now. I loved the tongue-in-cheek precision of the ending to this poem!

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  7. Hope your new house is "confiding as a chickadee," Heidi. Best of luck with the move - that's tough on people - one of the highest things on the list of "Stress Inducers." Hope you can take it slow and sure. Sweet poem - thanks for sharing it.

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  8. Wishes for happy remembrances and lots of sanity breaks as you embark on this transition - thanks for sharing the great poem. x's and o's to all....

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  9. Congratulations, Heidi! Best of luck with your move. How did you fare during the storm? Our power went out almost immediately. Very happy when it came back on last night!

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  10. Exiting news! I can't wait to hear all about it next Thursday night.

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Thanks for joining in the wild rumpus!