Nostalgia

Today I saw an old house
Just sitting there all alone
Once filled with joy and laughter
And the things that make a home

It hungers for familiar voices
That echoes in every room
And all the beautiful flowers
That covered the yard in bloom

The tasty smell of meal-time
Drifting through the kitchen door
And those hungry, cheerful voices
Today it longs for even more

There's that warming old fireplace
With the embers burning red
At night while everyone lay sleeping
Tucked away upstairs in bed

And that little mantle clock
That ticked away the night
Such a soothing, peaceful sound
And a welcome kind of quiet

It loved to hear the rooster crow
Every morning at the break of dawn
And the stairway that became so busy
With the creaking sound that is now gone

Oh those long-ago busy days
Its useful heart loved so
So much time for work and play
The old house continued to grow

So many wonderful, cherished memories
A home it was determined to be
Its warmth always flowing and stirring
Like the smoke ascending from its chimney

Today although the house looks lonely
Just waiting for someone to walk in
It seems someone is already there
Nostalgia has become its best friend

Susie Swanson