A must-see place
was The House of Dreams
built in Vancouver in 1948.
Boasting acres of glass it had
kitchen technology that
defied imagination.
The view up Howe Sound
went without saying. It had
everything that money could buy.
She is six & hides
her face in his chest
against the glare of the sun on the patio.
It’s just too much.
Her parents have been fighting
another job has fallen through
and soon it’s back to the log house in Haney.
They wonder when their ship will come in.
When their voices are angry
hers rises to peaks of frantic hope
his sounds the blackest depths offshore.
It’s just too much. But they smile & hold hands
at The House of Dreams.
Already at six
the child’s heart keeps double time.
This house she thinks would fix it for them both.
“If only they can have this house
I’ll never ask for anything else.”
She barters it all for an answer to a prayer.
But it’s just too much.
For the first time she feels her magic fail
knows the limits of what she can do
knows all her life she will have to make up for it.