Vacation Cottage

Dandelion clumps flourish
between flagstones, a window latch
loose above a rain-soaked chair,
spiders and wounded bees clutter
bathtub and floor, dust waits on
shelves and drawers as we enter
our promised land.

A spade and spray can
announce our will for order,
we sweep out dead bodies and
fill the trash barrel and stink up
the air with clouds of dust,
while beneath thought’s floor,
the basement creatures plague me
for the homestead I dreamed
I inherited.