where one person may see
an empty building
I see the store that
was there before and
where I shopped
for my mother

the road may look grey
with rain today yet
I remember this road
on all kinds of days
over many years
and seasons

bookstores may have closed
yet shelves of books
to look at and perhaps buy
exist in different places
thrift stores and other stores
library discards too

one step at a time
a new life can grow
and sometimes later
we may realize that
we are more at home
than ever before

Ellen Grace Olinger