Paused here

Paused here to

ponder

all the sounds that echoed

be it laughter

or argument

that filled this once

upon a time grand place

before a greedy bank

took it all away.

Imagine the wallpaper design

coats of paint applied

growth charts in kitchen

carved, dated in wood

stones marking the graves

of dogs, cats

that kept love alive.

I ponder the crops

that grew

the garden out back

that fed many a mouth

cause times were hard

but always, always

love seen each day through.

Imagine how many places

like this

fell into depression

by a greedy bank

with an absent mind

heart blank.