My dreams take me back to those houses

To the dogs who outlived you

And the ones who didn’t.

I would have gone back there,

Taken any road

Strained my eyes to see

What used to be before indigo doors.

But now the paint is rotting,

White and blue walls cracked and running,

Houses, kitchens, bedrooms gutted.

To the circle of heaven,

To the circle of hell,

Where are you now? Why won’t you visit?

But when the memory finally faded,

My dreams brought me there again.

And I felt a pain so acute when I looked at the scene.

Thick black banners

Tying my house to yours.

They stood unwavering in the breeze,

And for a moment I was sure

They had always been there.

How many times did I walk down those stairs

Violet and scarlet and blue and green

The colors were yours,

Each footstep falling with joy

A birthday was celebrated here.

But when the doors closed again

And perhaps I will never know what went on

For those two weeks,

Did the banners remain

Or was our connection severed?

I woke up choking on my tears.

Today we would have brought you to college

I am sure of it.

I walked down to the reflecting pool

And thought I saw among the clouds and trees

The jewels that remained from when you painted my face.