Made for Living

Omeone chose the books for color Someone measured every chair Everything suggests a family But nobody lives there Who is all of this prepared for? Who was supposed to arrive? Everything is made for living Except the parts that feel alive Bedrooms wait with folded blankets Pictures hang without a past Dining tables set for six now Like the guests are coming back Closets hold a row of jackets All in sizes no one wears Little marks beside the doorway Measure children never there Who is all of this prepared for? Who was supposed to arrive? Everything is made for living Except the parts that feel alive Down the block another house Has everything the same Different colors on the walls Different numbers on the frame Salesmen lock the doors at sunset Turn the little pathway lights Empty kitchens shine together All along the quiet site Tomorrow people come to visit Trying futures on for size Walking through somebody’s life That only ever lived inside