Poetry: It Isn’t Just a House

It Isn’t Just A House

It isn’t just a house.
It’s the sacred place I took my babies home to after their tiring journey into this world.
Their sweet new born cries filled the air
with beautiful, new life!
Their laughter, first steps, the almighty tantrums.
Will the walls whisper their names when we are gone?

It isn’t just a house.
It’s our beloved home
All of life taking place right here.
For six years we have felt protected by these walls,
Wrapped in a warm embrace,
The fear vanished.

It isn’t just a house.
It is a sense of belonging,
Community and friendship.
A safety net when the world was a frightful place,
A comfort to me and my children in hard times.

It isn’t just a house.
Will our laughter echo through the void?
The shouts and cries signalling the demise of a big love,
The tears and tender moments shared,
Where do those go? once we are gone….
This house holds the very spirit of my family.
We reluctantly, tentatively, leave
And step once again into the unknown.

It isn’t just a house.
It is part of us
A piece of our lives we will never forget
To you, a prudent financial decision, nothing personal.
To us, a nightmare
Forcing us into a life of fear and uncertainty and I ask…. for what?
Adding insult to injury,
The vaguely similar, misspelled surname on the eviction notice.
Don’t you even care enough to know the name of the family you are making homeless?

The fear returns.

It isn’t just a house.