The Green House

In memory of my grandfather

Did you know when you chose

That plot of land on the lonely hill

More than half a century later

We'd still be calling it home?

Did you know when you laid

The first floorboards in the dust

Three sons would spend their childhoods 

Caking them with dirt?

Did you know when you raised

Each and every wall

Two daughters would spend their days

Covering them in pretty pictures?

Did you know- Could you have known-

When you hammered that first nail into place

That it wasn't just a house

It was a life, a future

For the woman you loved

And for all of us.

And did you know when you painted

That heavy final brushstroke

Eleven grandchildren would someday

Scuff every inch of paint?

Was it worth the blood and sweat?

Did you know that once you were gone

We'd all gather there?

Because as long as that green house

Withstands the rain and snow and wind

There will always be a record of

The lives you created, lives you changed

In the one place you've always been.

Reviews

[Nathan Bernard]

I really like it. Some very powerful images, repetition without boredom. I would maybe say Scuff every inch of it? Since you say painted two lines above it. I don't know if you wanted the same word again, but I think its still clear without it and less clunky in my head. Other than that not anything really to improve upon. Looking hard at individual lines for some comments I am just moved by them instead.