Beyond your walls

Our first night alone
In our own home
In the heart of San Francisco

Dinner served on the floor
One day became a table for two
Which then gathered six at least
Sixteen came once to feast
In the end two sat once more

Our second night married
We came home and slept
Until the evening fog came calling

Hundreds of bottles of wine emptied
A couple of whiskey bottles too
Half a lamb in a freezer
A cat in the backyard too many
Two ducks spinning over the sink
Three families who all lived under one roof
Four matching chairs we never had
Five months, we lasted with no space
Six years, the longest I’ve stayed in one place

Our third night with baby
We came home from the hospital
To a sleepless night together

The footsteps of many echo
Along a hallway wide enough for only one
Trumpet practice through the windows
A breakup fight sometimes
Smart speakers and dumb alarms
All listening in, ready to cry for attention
Muted conversations made futile by squeaky doors
The sizzle of bacon on Saturday mornings
The music of babbles at bath time
The turning of keys and my heart beats

When the pager was silent
And the moon was bright
There was no place better
When the oven was roasting
And our friends toasting
I did not think of tomorrow
When the train was near
And puppies ran by downstairs
It seemed we’d never leave

Goodbye and thank you
Apartment we no longer call home
For sheltering strangers to a new city
Establishing a family with an address
Housing love that will grow beyond your walls