My Tenement is short and stout
its rooms are bright but small.
Windows here are tinted blue,
while music fills the halls.

A roof of light loose shingles
seldom stays in place.
The worn facade is vexed by time,
no siding can erase.

But it is safe and comfortable
when laughter shakes the walls,
loosing the mortar,
so bit by bit it falls.

I have this space and nothing else,
although I need much less.
With all its flaws I love this place,
run down, at times distressed.

When soon my soul will drift away,
float on to something else,
then I shall surely miss this haunt,
my tenement, myself.

© 1992 JVD

Jane Van Doe

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/my-tenement/