open house

young
couples holding printed
sheets
of paper,
the house, the price
the number of rooms,
park sideways
in the lot.
they look in every
direction like new borns,
at the trees, others walking
by. birds in flight.
they smell the air.
walk through
the open door
to the open house, past
the swing
of the yellow sign.
the staged furniture
stiff
and bright against the freshly
painted walls,
the buffed floors,
holding its new shine.
someone has put a candle
on the counter
filling the rooms with
the sweet scent of cinnamon.
up then down the stairs,
a moment to pause and stare
out the back window
at the woods.
whispers.
she opens the oven door.
he touches
the stain on the ceiling,
rises and falls
on his heels to listen
more intently to the squeak
in the floor.