Stay in one place
How long? - Long enough

Long enough for the house to become home
For the shrubbery to fill the voids
To no longer look like it did
When you picked it off the shelf at the garden center
For the vines to climb
Around the door and over the windowsill

Long enough for the scratches and dents to begin to appear
The first ones hurt so much
But all are cherished now
Like the rising row of horizontal pencil marks
Just inside the pantry door

Long enough to learn where things belong
And where they don’t
To know that you can reach for them
On the darkest night
And trust they will be there

Long enough to see what others miss
To notice all the little things
The bug beneath your feet
The movement of the sun
Long enough for the birds to lose their fear
And come back to the food

Long enough to know you’ve chosen well
That the things she did that bothered you
Have now become your treasures
That all those thoughts that someone
Might be better in some way
Have not stood the test of time
That perfection is a sterile land
Where nothing truly grows
That soulful smiles and honest eyes
Are what matter most