Dearest of Dear Places and Sweetest of Earth-graces

There is a place that cannot be replaced, no matter what

And nothing else can equal it, for all else we might boast

A stumble-humble haven where we love and laugh a lot

And those who do not have it hunger after it the most

To those who pass by, it may seem quite average at best

A box of wood and mortar with windows, a door and such

But those who live inside it find food, friendship, favor, rest

And Something that cannot be snared in the grasping of touch (love)

Perhaps it holds a flower or a book of poetry

A pot of soup, a garden, quilted this and that, children

To each its own small splashes of familiarity

Call to us from far, far away and draw us back again

In summer crickets serenade the happy hours there

Where we are oft oblivious to Father Time's caress

While seasons pass like picture-shows, a blend of calm and care

And thankful prayer to He who grants its wholesome happiness 

Here we remove the vain veneer we might wear to gain worth

From those who don't know us as well as they who dwell here do

Here we are quite ourselves like nowhere else on God's green earth 

'Kick off your shoes, put up your feet and sit a spell or two'

There is a place that cannot be replaced, no matter what

Its blessing quite unrivaled in earth's vast and goodly sum

Without it nothing else we earn could fill its tender spot

It is the grace of a dear place that we call simply, home

© Janet Martin