Once… Freshly laundered attire Downy-fresh and Gap-folded tucked away in the correct Oak drawer Now Tank tops and yoga pants strewn about and half-dirty lingerie languishing away in Corona boxes There were meals with more than one course healthy after-school snacks and strawberry smoothies and a proudly bursting dishwasher everyday Now Styrofoam and cardboard guarding open space in the fridge arguing with a sour quart of milk There were the farm duties of family the grocery store and the spelling tests summer camp and vacations to be planned Now Buy more TP, attend a Sedaris reading party upstairs and swallow margs across the street politics du ’jour and a new piece to write Basket of fresh towels in the bathroom serves few Nudes on the walls just clash with putty-colored paint sloppily applied by a former ghost of this box I now call “home”