Jacci's poem "My Family Room"

My Family Room

At first glance you were my oasis.

An urban myth tasseled in dust.

Tiny toy figurines soiled your edges

of red oak furniture.

Streaming sun shattered

beams of light.  As your paper like

shutters swayed.

Ty bean-like animals posed on

your pink rose’d carpet.

You were caked in black dog hair.

As my memories sprinkled

and held truth to your floor.

Your wooden record player

spilled it’s music of oldie hits.

And my mother’s favorite stations.

I would rock my feet to it’s

beat as my dog found her way

and swizzled next to me.

My feet laid now horizontal.

On holidays your place held

trees, spider like fabric,

turkey statues, and valentine

gue stickers.

Like New York’s Center piece

you flourished with family.

Their babies came as

a shower of light.

When dinner came your chairs

never matched and chaos

echoed in your small room.

And during night you

shivered with a cool chill

Your blinds were sometimes

opened, and this was where

I peaked.

I’d look out into the night’s sky

and listen to rain as it

spurred around,

down to the ground...

As I thought of stories,

of the lonely creatures.

All of them, or maybe just one,

trying to find themselves

down a broken path.

On weekends you were

my treasure map,

the ocean, the forest,

or my pretending space.

Yet you never enclosed

my imagination against

your plain white walls.

You filled me with what

I’m missing now...

A place I know

as home.

- Jacqueline Baumann