Beautiful Things

My house is not beautiful;

No art from Etsy here.
Just ugly hand-me-down lamps
And cheap laminate furniture.
Drab walls, all the same color
And a carpet that needs cleaning.

I have a dreamplace,

A home I pretend to have
With white cabinets
And walls painted in favorite hues.
Pretty curtains hang from the windows
And everything is clean.
“A place for everything, and everything in its place”
Is the motto of this dream,
But these beautiful things are a long time coming.

 Instead of curtains, paintings, and vintage picture frames,
My home is decorated with little fingerprints
And the occasional crayon mark
And dinner, splattered and dried,
And scribbled pictures tacked to the door. 
The theme of my bedroom is “laundry”
And the living room’s is “toys.”

 No, my house is not pretty,
And our few beautiful, breakable things are kept up high,
Out of the children’s grasp.
But I am in the business of making a home,
Not designing a house.
Designing will come later.
Now, my art is in creating a world
Of safety, peace, joy, and belonging,
Where the stuff of life is learned,
Laughter sings loud,
And the strength of love is felt.

Perhaps, someday, I will decorate
And make my house look just right.
But for now, these will suffice:
Giggles, picture books, tiny toes,
First steps, first words, and smiles.
My house is not beautiful,
But my home is.