the new home

the new house
smells
like wood.
fresh cut and
hammered level.
stains and paint.
there is brown
paper
stretched
across the halls
and stairways.
every room
has an echo
of the white poodle
that is caged
in the bathroom.
the new sink
glistens with a
touch
sensor, the hum
of the air
conditioner
is like that
of a ship about
to sail.
even the yard
is new.
a green carpet
not unlike
the eighteenth
hole
at augustus.
the wallpaper is
expensive,
with gold flecks
dotting
the chevrons
and diamonds.
you can hardly wait
to get home
to breathe
again.