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Edgemere Road
-for Ruth and Milton in memoriam
When there were pictures
on the wall
the house seemed larger
end tables in the hall
and someone answering
the phone
Telemarketers and fundraisers
would call but now no one does
because mail and bills are forwarded
to next of kin.
I remember both of you
moving from room
to room
creaking floors
and chiming clocks
every one of which spoke
of a particular purchase
or repair
work histories and earnings
wood grain walls
appliance doors grasped with a turning
of plumbing fixtures foot prints in linoleum.
I remember how you fed squirrels
picked beetles off of your plum tree
admired that flaming sugar maple
across the street
You cultivated tomatoes
and were proud to be
the first and only owners
of your house
You paid your bills and cut your grass
did all of the things responsible home owners do
taking a particular joy in your obligations because
They were yours.
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About the Author: Jeremy Nathan Marks lives in Canada. Brand new work appears/is appearing in Unlikely Stories, The Pangolin Review, Every Day Fiction, Bluepepper, Sledgehammer Lit, Ginosko Review, and New Reader Magazine.
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More by Jeremy Nathan Marks:
Frontiers are Frontiers but Once
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Image Credit: Marion Post Wolcott “Mr. and Mrs. Elvin Wilkins (Rosa) discussing whether or not they will buy this linoleum for their kitchen floor. They decided it was too light and not wide enough and that they would wait. They came to Durham, North Carolina from their farm near Stem, Granville County, to sell their tobacco at auction and to do some general shopping” (1939) The Library of Congress
As It Ought To Be 