Evolution of Home

As a child the foundation of my home

was built upon fantasy and dreams,

a world I could stand and command

atop a secure hill of vast lands.

All I desired was created within

the only currency required to pay,

wishes playfully made

upon a starlit twinkling ray.

I grew taller, bolder and began to claim my stake

outdoors in Mother nature’s spread

cleared diligently with a rake.

A full day spent exploring

rolling and covering myself in leaves

or furrowed deep in a tunnel

built from winter’s snow freeze.

As a teen I often loudly proclaimed

“MY BEDROOM is MY grace!”

while my brother picked the lock

and stormed the place ,

I yelled to my parents

“Mom! Dad! He’s AGAIN invaded MY space!”

As a college student I ventured away out of town,

my old room claimed by my younger sibling clown.

I lived in a square, prisonlike cold brick dorm

paired with a stranger ,

twin beds hung chained above our heads

decorated with 80’s rock poster style

hunkered in for a very long while.

Eventually I graduated with honors

moving up north yonder

away from many memories

I’d now only ponder.

Living on the top floor of a home rented

it was quiet and quaint ,

the hot furnace over vented.

Many nights I sat alone

in this small, sleepy little town

reflecting on my fate as a single.

It was fine for awhile

but eventually I grew restless,

feeling more like a visitor

than a permanent residence.

One day exciting new opportunity knocked

an interview had, a job securely locked.

I eagerly moved away out of state

early years were adventurous and fun,

I’d fly around the world circling back home

visiting family on short vacation runs.

Before I knew it

years flew into decades,

married, childless and widowed

this state of adult being

became permanent records.

After 22 years of united corporate bliss

unexpectedly my job was acquired and lost,

eliminated by another’s big boss.

What will become now of me

and my beloved mortgaged home?

All that I've worked for seems gone,

my career, my salary, my benefits, my safe haven.

Despite the high cost to survive

my mind screams, “I demand secure livin’!”

With a sinking feeling I question,

“How will I continue to fund

this home, this lifestyle I created

from years of personal, committed, dedication?”

The child in me

remembers the days

I funded all of my life

with hopes and dreams.

Born naïve with big visions rewarded

living as a Queen forever adored, fed,

roomed and boarded.

Yet the moral of the story remains

no matter where I venture next

it never really was about a place,

home is buried deep within the heart space.

Here the chamber always contain s

all the homes I have ever known

as the master of my own domain.

The story is not fully complete

unknown mystery remains before defeat,

Who shall I be?

What shall I do?

Where shall I wander next?

The courageous child and seasoned adult

work creatively together as one

chartering a more self-fulfilled, balanced course

navigated by the light of my inner North star.

I calmly settle in

to find myself yet again ,

back at home at the helm

in this phased journey of life.

The spiritual and physical realm

uniquely decorated rooms contain

magnificent wonder and strife.