Her corner house The last one Between The groves of Oranges And the cemetery Stood On the old road that lead to the dead And already Her mother and her husband Made this journey From her doorstep To their Graves Her 5 little children Never seemed to mind These steady processions That came at unexpected times and wandered by With that Heavy somberness that she felt inside her heart Her fear of Death grew and every knock Ring Or Sudden flutter of a bird Or Someone running to her door Sent panic To her spine And brought her to the floor Ohh if she could turn Her house around and wheel it over To someplace Where horses race Or Fishes Jump Or any city square Where The living still mull around She could forget What everyone keeps quite still and underground.
Irwin R. Shaw - November 23rd 1983
The Corner House
Her corner house
The last one
Between
The groves of Oranges
And the cemetery
Stood
On the old road
that lead
to the dead
And already
Her mother
and her husband
Made this journey
From her doorstep
To their Graves
Her 5 little children
Never seemed to mind
These steady processions
That came
at unexpected times
and wandered by
With that
Heavy somberness
that she felt
inside her heart
Her fear of Death
grew
and every knock
Ring
Or
Sudden flutter of a bird
Or
Someone running to her door
Sent panic
To her spine
And brought her to the floor
Ohh if she could
turn
Her house around
and wheel it over
To someplace
Where horses
race
Or
Fishes
Jump
Or
any city square
Where
The living still mull around
She could forget
What everyone keeps quite still
and underground.