the blue house by the ocean

 a villanelle 

Who used to occupy this space

back when the world was full of light?

For now there’s darkness in this place

that seeps through curtains lined with lace,

turned to brown from snowy white

like someone’s occupied this space.

But then they left and left no trace

Between the shadows of a night 

that brought the darkness to this place,

behind each wall and empty case

and desk and chair and words that write

“I used to occupy this space.”

And is that a familiar face? 

A picture on the wall that might

bring light into this place? 

Rest my mind if that’s the case,

if there’s a soul within my sight

to help me occupy this space, 

to scare the darkness from this place.