On February 23rd I wrote a story about my favorite house as a five-year-old. That same story I've been working on in poem form and I finished it tonight. So here is:
WHEN
YOU’RE LITTLE
By Patty Lynn
My family moved when I was five into
a brand-new house.
It wasn’t NEW but new for us, my
Mom & Dad had doubts.
We’d had a house, brand spanking
new, but that house cost too much.
And they both knew that this old
house would need some fixing up.
But I was not aware of that, I
simply knew this house
It was for me, a girl of five,
what dreams were all about.
It had a very pointy roof, a
perfect chimney, too,
Just right for dear, old Santa
Claus and all he has to do.
When entering my house you’d see
my very favorite spot,
A window seat where I would sit
and read the books I got…
From school or from the library
or gifts from Grandma, too.
I kept the card she sent that
said, “I hand-picked these for you!”
It had a huge-sized living room and
had a rounded wall.
I’d never seen that kind before nor
since, that I recall.
I’ll take you to my kitchen
next, it’s got so many cupboards!
They go up to the ceiling but my
Mom and Dad discovered…
That they will need a kitchen
stool to reach the very top.
Mom says for things we seldom
use, that’s just the perfect spot!
But there behind the kitchen was
another room I loved.
My Mom created something there,
just look, it’s up above…
Look up, upon the ceiling, there,
Mom made a whole night sky.
There’s lots of stars and I
would stare and I will tell you why…
I loved pretending that my nap
was underneath the stars.
I'd make believe that I could see
the Moon and sometimes Mars!
We moved away when l was eight,
but didn't move too far
l still could walk to my same
school and didn’t need the car.
I thought about that house, a lot, l wondered if it was…
The way it was when I lived
there, wished I could see because…
It’s been four years so I don't
know the way that house is now
But one day, quite surprisingly,
was able to see how.
Mom sent me to the grocery store
and I met someone there…
Who said she lived “right up the
block” I wanted to know where.
She said her house was painted white and had a pointy roof!
O, could it be, my favorite
house? I listened for some proof.
I told her what the address was
and she said, “Yeah, that's it!”
When I heard that, I've got to
say, my heart, it lept a bit!
“That’s my old house. I loved each day…every single minute...
That I was in that house of mine,
time that I spent in it…
Was something I'll remember for
a very long, long time!
“You'll have to come, I’ll ask my
mom, I’m sure she’ll say it's fine"
We got each other's numbers and she
called me that next day.
I answered and my new friend
said, “My Mom said it’s OK!”
And there I was inside the house,
there was my window seat.
It looked so different still I
thought, A perfect place to read!
Then straight ahead the living
room, that famous rounded wall,
But, wait a minute, something’s
wrong, this living room is…small!
Now, this is strange, the
kitchen, sure, the kitchen is just HUGE!
I headed there and said a
prayer, O, no, I’m not amused!
Why is this house not as it
was, at least as I recall?
What’s going on, this can’t be
right, this place is really small.
But what about the starry sky,
the bedroom that I loved?
The ceiling I pretended was
outside with stars above?
The memories of my childhood
days, the house I held so dear,
At 12 years old the truth I see,
yes, something's very clear.
You want to know just what I think? It’s really pretty simple:
The truth is that so many things seem big when you are little.
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