Why nail yourself shut

to stand haunted and

alone

at the top of a hill?

Open up your

doors and let

the wind blow through

your musty hallways.

Lower the

rickety ladder

and climb into the attic

and find out what

secrets are hiding

up there.

Put new batteries

in your flashlight

and hold someone’s hand

if you need to

and stomp

down the stairs

to the basement

like you’re not afraid

of spiders or mice

or the dark.

Sit in yourself

and own it all,

the splinters and the dust

and the unidentifiable

things in the refrigerator,

and also sunbeams

on hardwood floors,

white curtains veiling

wide windows,

beauty and grandeur

and things waiting

for people to visit and

admire and

make themselves at home.