Home Alone

The great ghosts of recent history
Hang around the house
Icing up the icebox
Peeling the paint

Glasses get cracked
Tea cups stain
Shampoo goes missing

The lamps perform a pantomime
Of flicker
The rugs recede

Pictures that were perfectly
Aligned
Tilt to the right
Cushions that were plump
Pucker

I linger on the middle landing
Look up the dark stair
Look down the dark stair
The banister bending