The Houses That Live In Us

The Houses That Live In Us

If you lay yourself in bed and close your eyes
And allow yourself to walk into the darkness in your mind,
You will find, dimly lit,
Spaces that stage you dreams -
And if you try to light that up
You will find in these rooms you used to live in.

If you allow your mind to take control of that space
And move furniture into existence
Arranging them once
And then again
Reversing how you rearranged the room as you would reverse time
You find yourself
Clearing outwards by your sheer will, a space of time -
Your childhood room, your new house, your boarding school -
You will find the spaces that house your memories
Well and alive.

If you allow yourself to sit in one of these spaces
And soak in your surroundings
You will smell the same smells and hear the same sounds and feel the same warmth
Welling up in you -
You connect with your past and realize
What treasures you have stored up,
Safely locked away,
In the heavens of the darkness
Of a night alone in bed -
You will be cradled in the warmth of those who have crossed paths with you
And fall asleep, excited about tomorrow,
As they call out to you in whispers
See you tomorrow, goodnight.