it almost rained yesterday
on the house we almost bought
with money we almost had
where flowers choked the hallways
and words swung from the ceiling
where labyrinthine cats uncoiled
through endless open doors
—but it sprinkled instead
*60/100: For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day. All photos are mine.
Wow, I have to say that this reminds me of how out of reach homeownership is for young Americans today. Very sad and ridiculous.
That’s so true. It’s so hard to be starting out right now, which is why both my kids are still living at home to save all their money while in college.
I hope your babies graduate! 🤙🏻🙏🏻
They both have a few years ahead of them, but I know they can do it!
Amen. 🙏🏻 🤙🏻😊
I have several of those homes.
Me too, but one in particular always gets me and I drive by it sometimes to dream a bit.
I should drive by a few next week if I take the twins to their aikido session. A bit out of the way, but they’ll enjoy the architecture.
Almosts need to make you smile.
Almost…
I like that poem.
Thank you so much!
What a quietly haunting and beautifully imaginative poem. 🌧️🏠🌸
“It almost rained yesterday” feels like a meditation on almosts—the things we nearly possessed, nearly achieved, nearly became. The repeated word “almost” gives the poem its emotional heartbeat, creating a world that exists somewhere between memory, desire, and imagination.
Thank you. It’s hard to not dwell on those almosts sometimes, but I do allow it to happen from time to time. Just can’t stay in those feelings for long, too painful.
Lovely poem. The repetitive use of “almost” really pulls me into it.
Thank you so much!
Oh, the what ifs. We looked at several houses in town before we committed.
It’s hard to not imagine what our lives could have been like if we’d just taken another turn…but it’s good not to dwell in that place.
Yes, I’m glad we don’t dwell in those places. 😉
I’m glad I read all the comments; I get the background you brought to this lovely poem. I like the theory of multiple universes stretching out from every tiny decision point. I’m (almost) sure this is ridiculous because there would be billions just from one moment in the life of our Earth, but ….I like how looking back, most folks think where they landed is inevitable, but going forward it was always “which-turn-do-I-take?” In one of my lives, I played it safe, stayed in college, got the degree, likely moved from reporter to copyeditor to something else and just as papers started to die out, leapt for a final lifeline of a job. I probably had kids. Oh, but the dangerous one(s) I didn’t take! Well!
Exactly! It’s fun sometimes to think of those paths, but also it can be painful. I know in one version of my life I moved to New York City like I wanted to, worked for some scrappy little papers until I landed my dream job at the Times. For sure I’d never have a family in that version, too focused on the job. Just one of many paths…many people I could have chosen.