Wallpaper
by Malcolm Guy Boswell

The wallpaper in the dining room
covers a wall scratched with chair backs
of people leaning comfortably against it

The wallpaper in the living room
covers a wall decorated with finger paintings
of children full of imagination and fun

The wallpaper in the kitchen
covers a wall stained with sweat and grease
of meals that filled more than the belly

The wallpaper in the bedroom
covers the walls that hushed the intimacies
of a couple who loved, cried, fought and laughed...

But there are no wallpapers
to cover the soul of this old house
where our family once lived... good bye!