Inside these Walls

if these walls could talk
   they would scream
   they would cry
   they would laugh
   they would remember
all the lives lived inside this shelter
the first footprint
set in concrete
when you were a child
playing only two blocks from here
they would come alive
recording all these memories
they would tell a story
of the first family
that cared for them
retired as they were
   how the couple painted
their skin and bones protected
from the winds and water
they would talk of hurricanes
the roof water damage
   how they stood strong
through the decades
as a new family moved in
   how their children grew
   how their father joined the Guard
   how he worked very hard
to provide for his family
only to be sent to fight two wars
in distant lands
   how they felt neglected
   how they were rented out
   how they were abused
   how nails are to be respected
   how easily drywall can become wet
   how easily mold can get
into the blood of a home
air ducts full of dust
lungs full of smoke
   how they were abandoned
sitting for two years
no memories to record
only time and spirits
would come and visit
until our family arrived
flowers placed on the doorstep
   how we realized they were neglected
   how we realized they are alive
by stripping off old paint
by cleaning dust from their lungs
   the long disinfection begun
they would tell you about you
how two decades earlier
it was your footprint
placed in that cement
how they have been waiting
for you to make a home
   to raise your family
   to see your children play
inside these walls