Whose House Is This

Tori—I’ve rewritten and started over 11 times with a poem for Poetry as Art. I started over again this week and have tweaked it a lot. My photo is State of the Union. I went full on mtephor. Comments welcome.

My favorite line is “the door unhinged.” I don’t see where to add an image here. ??

I like the new format on your website…nice! Do I need to do this for mine? How did you do it? Does it cost more?

Whose House Is This? 

      After State of the Union by George Lottermoser

The garden is overgrown, half dead, 

the porch light burned out,

the house number fallen into the weeds.

Looks like the owner gave up.

Invasive species have taken over,

crowded out the natives.

A tangle of vines chokes

what used to be verdant and viable.

Who lives in this neglected garden?

The house in shambles,

the front steps need repair,

the door unhinged.

Even the American flag droops, torn and faded.

Perhaps townspeople will come over to help.

Pledge allegiance to a neighbor,

untangle this mess, clear the debris.

Prune wild and unruly vines, 

find the original plantings,

add new soil,

work it with their hands, 

water the roots, see to the weeds.

It will grow back,

but it will take some time

to feel like home again.

+++

My REVISION 5/20/2026

Whose House Is This? 

      After State of the Union By Geroge Lottermoser

The garden is overgrown, half dead. 

The porch light is burned out.

The house number has fallen upside down.

The owner gave up.

Invasive species have taken over,

crowded out the natives.

A tangle of vines chokes

what used to be verdant and viable.

Who lives in this neglected garden?

The exterior of the house is in shambles.

The front steps need repair.

The door is unhinged.

The American flag droops, torn and faded.

Perhaps citizens will come over to help,

pledge their allegiance to a neighbor.

Untangle the mess, clear the debris,

prune wild and unruly vines, 

find the original plantings,

pull the weeds, add new soil,

work it with their hands, 

water the roots.

The garden will grow back,

but it will take some time

to feel like home again.