Welcome Mat

A house filled up with red,
overflowing into the garden
with the footpath and those
orange footprints from
chalk-drawing days, blossoming
from under doors, pouring
from the open windows,
a house in full rage, misshapen
walls, a sponge absorbing
the heat, floorboards sunk
in on themselves, splinters like
the raised hairs on an arm
and the sound of a heart breaking,
memories of a time when
the house was enough
and she did not need anyone else,
a love felt deeply but now
a new love with his shoes
pressed firmly into the welcome mat.