New Houses
How do the new houses work inside?
the long rows of sprawling ranches
with green spaced lawns
and perfect bushes?
Are there attics and closets
for Mommy’s corn cob doll
saved since 1896 —
and Daddy’s gas mask from World War II?
and where does “Jenny Greenteeth” live
if there are no old trunks
holding letters from Cuba, dated 1903,
and the picture of Great Grandfather Bloor,
captain in the Civil War?
Jo Scotford Rice moved to Martha’s Vineyard with her family during the winter of 1965. A loyal contributor to Poets Corner, she died in December of 2013.
