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WHAT'S YOUR HOUSE WORTH?
I love picking up the mail each day even thought it may seem orthodox
Because you never know what the mail man has left you in the box.
Today’s mail was prosaic, causing the usual amusement, irritation and mirth
But one realtor’s card caught my attention for it asked, “What’s your house worth?”
It got me to thinking...the value of our house as I’m sure we’d all agree
Is quite different for the realtor than it is for Deborah and me.
They might look at that bedroom door and as realtors might frown
They don’t know I hung it myself, that’s why I left it upside down.
They might want those broken parts fixed along the outside backyard wall
They don’t know that’s where Ryan, when he was young, used to kick his soccer ball.
They might want that closet door fixed, they might see it as a drawback
They don’t know that from the day Ali came to live with us it’s been coming off the track.
They might ask us to take down that sculpture, the one that looks poorly made
They don’t know Bryan made it by hand when he was in 1st grade.
They may want that old swing in the backyard removed, it’s old and shows its wear.
They don’t know our children and grandchildren have grown up swinging there.
They may want those cracks in the ceiling and along that one wall erased
They don’t see them as we do, like wrinkles on this old house’s face.
They might look at our house and see imperfections behind every window and every door
They don’t understand in our house, it’s those imperfections we’ve come to adore
No, to the realtor this is just another house as in search of houses they roam
But a long time ago it became more than that to us, when it became our home.
So back to the question of the moment, how much is this old house worth
The house that has seen us through sadness and joy; through marriages and births.
The house where for over 25 years our family has laughed and cried and sat...
The answer is quite simple, you can’t put a price on that.
At least that’s what I was thinking as that card mentioned they’d pay cash.
And why I smiled so contentedly as I tossed it in the trash.
