This old house
has forgotten 
how it felt to be 
freshly painted
with shiny copper pipes
free of drafts, sealed tight 
no cracks in the plaster
fissures in the mortar
gaps in the hardwood floor

but

This old house
remembers
how to amplify laughter
absorb tears
ward off nightmares
welcome friends
invite lovers to linger
keep secrets
and detect lies.

This old house
has seen better days
but still knows precisely
how to be a home.