Tattoos covering a man that speaks of his soul A dog with a playful heart and loving tongue Miles of dandelion covered fields and poison ivy infested forest Mud covered boots and worn out running shoes Smoke rising from a chimney and an open door lifestyle Swings swaying in the wind connected to a cat-**** infested sandbox A pond with fishing poles in the dirt and a splintery dock Paint stripped basketball hoop without its net ripped and torn Rocks and logs surrounding an overused fire pit A lush garden with every kind of bug and animal Another dog with his wise years found spotted on his nose An old, leathery glove with its seams falling out Scratched and scorned arms from 4th of July bottle rockets Mom and dad a quick walk just a mile down the road A 1962 Corvette Stingray parked next to the dusty van Two cats sleeping the day away on the porch A trampoline with rusted springs and a sprinkler underneath The grill cooling from an afternoon of burgers and hotdogs The brother flying in from Colorado after a week on the slopes Rock and roll blasting from the house that can be heard for miles All the windows open to take in the summer air Every pillow and blanket carefully positioned to make an epic fort Bikes hanging in the garage next to the bin with every ball you can think of An over used washer and dryer next to the hallway with endless pictures Half finished schoolwork on the table surrounded by the crust of a PB&Js; Rooms with unmade beds and works of art mixed in with stuffed animals A sister biking in from the town just beyond the nature reserve Wrinkled hands and dirt filled nails contrasted by a gold ring Nerf bullets covering the floor, windows, and fridge in the kitchen Chalk covered black top from the garage to the street Lego towns and spaceships covering the coffee table A whiteboard with math equations and tic-tac-toe fighting for whitespace A wall full of board games missing a die here or a figuring there Newspaper clippings, pictures of nephews and nieces, and report cards on the fridge Coffee *** half gone, cereal bowls in the sink, and the oven on for some reason Bike ramps with caution tape and under construction signs scattered in the garage Firefly nights that have to compete with the millions of the stars in the sky Flashlight filled ghost stories in the family tent with mallows and chocolate bars Lazy afternoons with a good book ending with an even better nap And a mailbox, surrounded by tulips, on my little patch of heaven.