my wife asks casually not waiting
for an answer
and it starts me thinking how
it might be just mud walls
a thatched roof
and an entry door
a hard dirt floor
such as I slept on
once near Otavalo
and that too was home
to those good folk
who lived there

a hearth
a kettle and a cooking stove
some shelves for clothes
hammocks to sleep in
mattress pads or sheepskins
almost any bed is better
than bare ground

It may be poorer
than our house in Oregon
but it's the same things
make a house a home
love that endures
and memories
of children laughing
grandchildren if one is lucky
and a garden
hopefully with fruit trees
(I'll take Santa Rosa plums
and winesap apples)

Last but by no means least
friends stopping by
a pet (or two) for cuddling
or just to get us out the door
above all peace within the walls
peace in the words the gestures
and the hearts of all  who share the household's dreams
and memories
whose loving ties
transform a  household
into what we call a home