Home is Where I'm Proud to Be

Home is where the ground glistens,
like a thousand diamonds.
Home is the rope swinging back and forth,
from a crooked tree.
Home is the bean field
engulfed in many houses.
Home is the pine tree in the neighbors yard,
which looks like porcupine thorns.

Home is the sweet chocolate taste of cherry mash,
that dissolves in my mouth.
Home is the cool, refreshing ice tea,
that quenches my thirst,
in the hot blistering heat.
Home is the fireplace hiding in the wall.
Sitting cozy by the fire
as cotton balls fall from the sky.
Home is the living room
looking like a forest
with all the plants,
leaves reaching out to grab you
as you walk by.

Home is where you don’t ask, “Why?”
You just do it.
Home is where you juggle
stories at the table,
such as putting frogs in my big wheel
and riding my pony.
Home is where mom yelps,
“Don’t take more than you can eat,”
even though the beef calls my name
Home is where Jerod wrestles with me,
and when things get rough he says,
“What ever comes around goes around.”
Home is where mom has to grab
the squirt bottle to break up me and Jerod’s fighting.
Home is Curt trying to make me laugh,
telling jokes and stories.
Home is playing catch phrase
at every family gathering.
Yelling, laughing, and having fun.

Home is where you find old pictures
in scrapbooks or in my old wooden box,
where every photo flashes a mental picture in my head
and tells a certain story.
Home is where certain things in our house
holds a special place in my heart.
Home is where Figero sprawls out in the sun,
making everyone step over him.

Home is where I’m proud to be;
growing up and spreading my wings,
learning and building relationships.

-J. Duffek