The Comforts of Home

The comforts of home shift with memory, pieces of furniture from my growing up life, nestling the past in the present 

~ but only part of the past 

the part that brought me comfort.

Sometimes my real furniture looks dated and old, even my newest furniture ~ purchased because it fit ~

fit with the warmth of the past

all I ask from the past is comfort and safety

which memories are safe?

which need to be laid to rest?

My comforts of home?

the aroma of baking bread, a bubbling stew, fresh brewed coffee or roast chicken; the dirt under my fingernails after a good dig in my small garden pots, the sounds of CBC on Sunday morning, piano music and a whistling tea kettle, the whirr of my sewing machine, hum of the refrigerator and distant growl of lawnmowers

An abundance of sounds, aromas, and feelings - invisible heartstrings to the past.

“Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.”

~ James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room

Author's note: Edited February 09, 2024