Porch
by Pamela Den Ouden
A porch with roof and railing
Is a fine thing
A dry place to stack firewood
Closer to the house
Than the big pile at the far
side of the yard
To hang ax, saw, hammer
Traps, rope, bucket
To set boots and shoes
So mud will harden and die
To wash clothes on a rainy
day
To hang blankets to air
The railing makes an inside
outside
Marking the edge of "ours"
A smile on the front of the
house
Inviting friends and strangers
in
But a porch needs a rocking
chair
For the lady of the house
To sit and sip lemonade
On a hot summer day
To entertain her guests
In white ruffled shirtwaists
Parasols dangling from smooth
hands
Offering small cakes from a
china tray
Gossip poured out
Like steaming tea in floral
mugs
Or to hold the children on
her lap
Rhyming them a bedtime story
The creak-creaking of the rockers
Just one of twilight's forest
airs
Or for gazing at the stars
Cassiopeia the lady
in her chair
